Home Is Where You Are
by linax24
Summary: Elena Gilbert, a 28 year old lawyer who has the perfect life: a beautiful home, a successful career, a great group of friends. There's one thing she keeps failing at: finding the love of her life. But can you really find it if you've stopped looking? Her previous relationship ended in a disaster, her ex-fiance is her boss and she has no clue where her life is heading. (AU)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys! This is my first Delena FanFic - There will also be some Klaus/Caroline & Bonnie/Enzo. I'm really excited to finally publish the first chapter, I've had this idea in my head for such a long time but just couldn't bring myself to write it. But here it is! I hope you enjoy it and I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review and let me know what you think/what improvements I could make. Thank you so much for checking it out. There's so many more exciting chapters to come!

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Elena Gilbert swiftly got into her black Chevrolet Malibu, throwing her handbag onto the passenger seat. This was a long week and she was relieved that it was finally Friday. She loved her job, being a lawyer challenged her in many ways and it was never boring: a new day, a new client, a new case. It kept her busy and determined, paid way more than it was necessary and as a result she could lead an expensive lifestyle, live in a beautiful house, drive the best cars and buy designer shoes or handbags. Was that important to her? No, it was just a perk of the job but it was certainly nice not to worry about money or the future. Also, working with her ex-fiancé was a big downside of the job. Especially when you're the one who broke up with him and your best friend is engaged to his brother.

It was 7pm and she had finished later than usual, the firm had signed on a big client and there was no such a thing as office hours when handling a case like this. Luckily it was spring already and the days were finally getting longer, so it wasn't half as bad coming home this late. She took her heels off and threw them next to her purse, finally relieved of the discomfort from wearing them all day. She swiftly wrapped her thin fingers around the tight hair band and let her loose curls fall down her shoulders. She was about to start the engine as she heard her phone buzz.

"Hey Bonnie, I thought you're meant to be on your flight by now? Oh God, please tell me that I haven't been mistaken thinking that it's Friday."

Bonnie chuckled as she heard the distress in her best friend's voice. "I swear you work too much, you are in a desperate need of a holiday. No honey, it's definitely Friday."

A wash of relief came over her body and she instantly relaxed and leaned back into her seat. "Yeah, tell that to my boss. I don't even know what the word 'holiday' means anymore. Anyway, what's up with the flight?"

"Yeah about that, it's not until 2 or 3 am but I am supposed to be sleeping at Enzo's tonight as all my luggage is already there and I can't find my passport anywhere. I think I left it at home, but we're already in a restaurant and I have no time to go back and get it. I was hoping that you'd be able to get for me? "

"Oh yeah of course, I'll be driving past your place anyway. Just text me where you are and i'll drop by once I have it."

"Thank you so much Lena, I don't know where my head's at recently. I'll text you everything!"

* * *

By the time Elena had arrived, they had all ordered their food and were sipping on their fine red wine. She'd shown up with a black leather briefcase in her left hand. The long chocolate brown curls cascaded down her back, almost reaching her lower back. She wore a matching crimson suit jacket and trousers, with a pair of black heels and a low-cut black top giving a glimpse of her cleavage. Confidently, she walked up to their table.

A wide smile was plastered on her face as she spoke. "So what do I get for saving your ass" With one hand placed on her hip, she waved Bonnie's passport in the other.

"Oh my God, I love you! You don't understand how much I was freaking out!" She giggled and pulled Elena into a tight hug.

"Ehm, knowing you I think I have a gist of just how much you might have been freaking out." They both laughed as Elena finally glanced at Damon, the handsome blue eyed stranger who seemed to have been observing her ever since she walked up to their table.

"Oh yeah, Elena this is the guy that I constantly complain about aka Damon and Damon this is Elena, my best friend." She gestured at them both and briefly smiled. Damon did not listen to a word of what was just said, having focused his full attention on the brunette standing in front of him, taking up every inch of her feminine figure and those 'fuck me' heels. She definitely _was_ something. And that was anything _but_ mediocre.

Elena laughed reaching to shake his hand. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name. Although I must say Bonnie isn't your biggest fan, so I haven't heard too many nice things about you."

"Well I see my reputation precedes me." Damon chuckled as he took her small, delicate hand into his, shaking it briefly. "I guess I should work on improving that opinion of yours."

Elena playfully smiled and arched her eyebrows in curiosity. Seeing him alone had already improved that opinion, anyone with eyes like his could annoy the hell out of her all day and she wouldn't mind. "What makes you think that you'll get the opportunity to work on it?"

"What makes you think otherwise?" His voice was full of confidence as he spoke.

"You sure are full of yourself" Her lips turned into a smirk, he loved to play just as much as she did. The assertiveness may have come across as cocky, but she loved it when people spoke their mind.

"I don't know about that, but I guess I do always go after what I want." His eyes were fixed on Elena's, his stare penetrated deep into her gaze searching for a sign of approval or maybe a dare so that he could act on his own words. Damon couldn't help but bite his lower lip at the thought of what that dare could lead to.

"Well then I guess you're in for a chase." The words escaped her mouth before she could even get a chance to think them through, but clearly her subconscious mind knew exactly what it wanted.

"Are you presenting me with a challenge?"

She licked her lips in a slow demeanor, completely unintentionally, whilst folding her arms in front of her chest. "I don't know, do you like to be challenged, Damon?"

Bonnie's loud cough abruptly turned their attention away from each other onto her. "Okay, are you guys going to rip each other's clothes off right here, right now? Cause it's getting a bit hot in here, not going to lie."

Boom. The moment was gone, the bubble had been burst. The tension had faded away and left her breathless, it felt like during this entire interaction she had simply forgotten to breathe. Elena also couldn't help but notice her annoyance at Bonnie's interruption, and that didn't sit quite well with her. Afterall, it was just a little flirting, nothing unusual for her, so why did it feel a little different? She quickly dismissed these thoughts. "Way to make things awkward Bonnie." She faked a quick smile.

"Anyway, it was nice to meet you Damon. But I have to get going guys, i'm in for a long ride home and Elijah will be on my case if I don't check in with him in the next 5 minutes." She rolled her eyes at the thought and nervously played with the car keys in her hand.

Enzo shook his head and laughed, as she mentioned Elijah's name."When is he not on your case. You are quite literally the only case he is interested in, I worry about that guy sometimes."

Elena had gotten used to the annoying commentary, but it still rubbed her the wrong way, after all Elijah still meant a lot to her. Just not in the way that he used to. "Don't be a jackass, he's just looking out for me."

"Yeah, you know that's bullshit. He's just waiting on you to change your mind."

"Well that's not going to happen, and we both know that so hush. Seriously, how do you manage to live with this guy Bonnie?"

"Trust me, it's not easy. Come on, I'll walk you to your car." Bonnie grabbed her phone and walked over to where Elena was standing.

Damon glanced over at Elena, definitely disappointed that she was leaving so soon. He couldn't shake off the feeling of slight jealousy rush over him at the thought of Elena calling up some guy who apparently is just waiting on her word. He looked at her one last time and shot a wide grin.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around, Elena."

She smiled and winked at him. "I guess we'll see about that,Damon."

* * *

The cold air hit as soon as they stepped outside, it was already beginning to get dark and the chilly atmosphere has set in. It was an unusually cold April evening. As they got closer to the vehicle, Bonnie stood right beside the door, blocking Elena from getting in.

"So, are you really interested in him?" She questioned with a hint of urgency in her voice, as Bonnie was the cautious one in the group. She was the friend that Elena would go to for mature advice or for a shoulder to cry on.

"Interested in who?"

"Damon. You seemed to have hit it off a bit, which I never thought would happen."

Elena let out a heavy sigh, knowing where this conversation was going. "I'm not interested in dating anyone and you know that Bonnie, he's just easy to talk to. And definitely not hard to look at."

"Don't get me wrong Lena, I want you to finally meet Mr Perfect and start going on actual dates. Just not with Damon. He's so not the relationship material and he wasn't lying about getting what he wants, he will seriously try to get into your pants."

Like "Mr Perfect" even exists, she thought to herself. That's what being single for a year does to you. She shrugged her shoulders and replied casually, "Nothing's going to happen between Damon and I. And even if it did, you know i'm not looking for anything serious or for the long term."

Bonnie sighed heavily, in a way expecting this exact response from her. "But maybe it's time to open up to someone, you know to have an actual relationship, someone to come home to. You deserve better than the quick wham bam-thank you ma'am."

"Have you been spending time with my mom lately? Because you sound just like her. I'm fine, seriously, I don't need a guy or a relationship. I've had that before and look what we both had to go through, I just don't want to face that again. If I meet someone who sweeps me off my feet and makes me fall crazy in love then maybe I'll settle. But I'm not actively searching for it, so I'll be okay if that never happens."

"So I guess it's time for Caroline and I to start a search party for the perfect guy? We're allowed to actively search on your behalf, right?" Bonnie grinned widely, happy not to hear a definite 'never'.

"Like you don't already do that, you guys are not as secretive as you think." Elena rolled her eyes. "Okay Bonnie, I've really got to go now. Have a safe flight, be sure to message me when you arrive in London." She pulled her into a tight hug and exclaimed enthusiastically. "Don't stress about meeting the fam, they'll love you as much as we all do."

"Yeah, that's just what I'll keep telling myself. I'll message you, love you." She giggled as she hugged her back.

"Love you too Bonnie."

* * *

The normal Friday night did not amount to a lonely evening at home, wearing joggers and an oversized sweatshirt, and a glass of red wine in one hand. It was usually a night out with Caroline and Bonnie and letting the steam off, forgetting all the past worries, but either way it involved consuming too much alcohol and a massive hangover the next morning. Tonight was different for many reasons. Bonnie was flying off to London to finally meet Enzo's family, Caroline was with Klaus, her fiance, planning their wedding. She had hired a wedding planner, but she was doing most of the work herself and Klaus was simply there to nod along in agreement to whatever she decided. Yes, she was one hell of a bossy woman, but he loved her for it and wanted to give her the wedding she had always dreamed, off, so he didn't object to any of her ideas. Or at least most of them, depending on how crazy they were and with Caroline there was a whole new level of crazy involved.

Did it bother her that she was single? Sure, on some level it got to her head. She was a 28 year old woman, two months short of her 29th birthday. Whilst her two best friends were in great relationships, finally finding the man they want to spend the rest of their lives with, all she had was her career. Impressive as it was, recently she found herself missing something in her life. It would be nice to come home and have someone wait for you, to have someone who you can drink a coffee with on a rainy sunday morning. Funny how when once upon a time she had that, she didn't want it. Maybe she was too young to appreciate it then. Either way, it was long gone and there was no going back for her. Elijah was not the man she was in love with, at least not anymore. She couldn't get back together with him just because she felt lonely, it would be wrong for so many reasons. But at times like this, this sense of loneliness got to her and she simply couldn't shake it off.

She unlocked the front door and pushed it open, walking in with a heavy sigh leaving her lips. Shutting the door with her left foot, she placed her keys on the shelf and kicked her heels off. "Home sweet home". She murmured to herself making her way to the kitchen, and pouring herself some red wine. Before she could take a sip and flop down on the sofa, her phone rang. She didn't need to check the caller ID to know who was calling her at this time. "Hey Lijah, I just got home."

"Just wanted to check in, how did the meeting go?" She always loved the huskiness in his voice, and now she didn't quite know how to react to it. It was like a constant reminder of what they had lost.

She propped her feet up on the glass coffee table, as her body sank into the cosy sofa placed in her living room. "Well the guy is a pain in the ass, but eventually we came to an agreement. He gave me all the documents and we've scheduled a meeting for Tuesday morning. But seriously, it's 10pm on a Friday, don't you have anything better to do than worry about work?" She raised her brows, attempting to sound casual.

"Ah well you know me, got plenty of places to be at." He chuckled lightly at the comment. " I didn't like you having to drive back so late, wanted to check that you didn't run into a serial killer on your way or picked up a hitchhiker who decided to kill you in your sleep."

"I think you ought to give me more credit, I didn't go to all these self defence classes to get ambushed so easily. Anyway, I've arrived in one piece so you can stop worrying now."

"If you say so. Have a good night Elena, I'll see you on Monday." He hung up the phone before she could answer.

It's been a year since they broke things off, but he never really moved on. It was always Elena for him, he couldn't imagine being with any other woman and he hadn't really tried. It hurt that she moved on without ever looking back, she didn't exactly try to hide the fact that she's been seeing other guys. None of them were serious relationships, but that's exactly what she needed. After being in a committed relationship for three years she wanted to have fun with no strings attached. Elena was a very confident and beautiful woman, with her olive complexion, doe brown eyes and a body that any woman would kill for, she knew she was attractive. Men never failed to express their interest in her, so she didn't have to seek attention, she received it in the instant moment that she walked into a room.

You'd think that somewhere along the line she'd find someone worth getting involved with on a deeper level, but that proved to be a lot more difficult said than done. She wanted someone who she would lose her mind for, someone who'd make her feel like a teenager with butterflies in her tummy all over again, but that wasn't easy to find. As she removed her makeup and the hot stream of water washed over her body, she couldn't stop thinking of Damon. He intrigued her with the way their conversation flowed so easily. The way his ocean blue eyes traced every inch of her body, the way he bit into his plump lower lip, the huskiness of his voice. Yep, that's what too much wine does to you. God, she really wanted to slap Bonnie for butting in and ending their 'conversation'. But, he did say they'd see each other again and maybe that would happen sooner than he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you for all the amazing feedback, I appreciate it so much! I'm sorry for the long wait, personal life got in the way. But here's the 2nd chapter, it's a bit short but I promise next one will be longer. I hope you'll enjoy it x

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Elena! I've been calling you for hours! Why haven't you been picking up? Did you have a late-night booty call?" The blonde squealed on the other side of the phone, smirking.

"Dear God Care, no I did not have a booty call." Elena rolled her eyes, whilst she lazily climbed out of her bed. "How did last night go?"

"Great! I picked out the flowers for the ceremony, the colour scheme and now I can finally focus on finding the caterer. And obviously you still need to come dress shopping with me! I mean there is still so much stuff left to do, but I feel like we're getting somewhere."

She could already imagine the huge smile plastered on Caroline's face at the simple thought of finally having the wedding of her dreams. The perfect dress, the perfect venue and her prince charming. At least some of her friends got to live her dream, she thought.

"Sounds great, did Klaus have any part in this?" She said jokingly, as she slipped on her white fluffy slippers and strolled into her kitchen. A cup of freshly ground black coffee was Elena's ultimate pick-me-up on any day of the week. After switching on the coffee machine, she walked over to slide open the glass doors leading into the garden. It was a chilly Saturday morning; the sun was shining and there was not a single cloud in sight. A perfect spring morning.

Caroline's laugh beamed through the speaker as she replied. "Yes, actually my baby happened to give me the best foot massage of my life and he stocked me up on Chardonnay. So yep, he was very much needed last night."

"Wow, where can I get me one of those?" Elena chuckled at the remark. She picked out her favourite polka-dot mug and poured the hot black coffee, then added in some milk. She grabbed it by the small handle and walked out into her garden, settling down on the beige outdoor sofa.

", speaking of getting you a boyfriend, I heard that you met Damon last night... What did you think?"

Elena's mind instantly wandered off to Damon and she felt the warmth spread through her body. What did she think? Well, she certainly wouldn't mind having her way with him. She could only imagine how those strong arms would feel wrapped around her petite body or how it would feel to have his soft pink lips place kisses along her neck, his tongue tracing circles right below her ear. If only she could rely on something other than her imagination.

She quickly shook her thoughts away. "He's alright." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, this news travelled fast. Why is it such a big deal that I met him?"

"Alright? Elena, who are you kidding. Even Bonnie knows that he is more than just alright. He's hot, you're hot. You're both single. I thought that you might want to see him again."

"It's not like I would mind seeing him again Care. Okay, Bonnie may have eyes and recognize that he is walking sex on legs, but she didn't sound too fond of him."

A sigh left Caroline's lips as she exclaimed "Bonnie is just being overprotective as always. I think you should get to know him better and make your own judgement. And that's why I've come up with a great plan, so you need to get your ass over here right now."

* * *

After finishing the conversation with Caroline who seemed a bit too excited about her secretive plan, Elena was left feeling a bit apprehensive. Anyone who knew Caroline understood how carried away she could get at times and there was no coming back from her decisions. They had been best friends for their entire lives, the three of them: Elena, Bonnie and Caroline, as they grew up together in Atlanta. Whilst Bonnie was always the more mature one, Caroline was the complete opposite - Elena was somewhat in-between the two. But she loved them both dearly, and she couldn't have asked for better friends.

She quickly scooped up her breakfast, hopped into the shower and started getting ready to leave. It was the weekend, so she could finally wear whatever she wanted, not that wearing high heels and tightly fitting skirts, or pants was a chore, but it got tiring rather quickly. She happily put on her favourite pair of skinny blue jeans, distressed at the knees and high waisted. She paired them with a pair of white converses and an off the shoulder white t-shirt.

After arranging her hair into light curls and brushing her fingers through the ends to achieve an effortless look, she gave the room a quick glance. The house was clearly a mess and it seriously needed to be cleaned. But that was somewhere near the bottom on the list of priorities.

The longer that she had been single, the more she feared staying that way forever. It wasn't a general fear of being without a man for the rest of her life, not having children or spending her last year's knitting away rather than watching over her grandchildren running around in her backyard. There was nothing wrong with being a cat lady, not becoming a mother or not settling down when you're thirty. Plenty of people are happy being single, travelling the world and just having fun.

But the one thing she feared the most was dying without ever getting to experience that kind of crazy, stupid love that makes your toes curl. You know that feeling of love that washes over you the moment that you set your eyes on that person. The burning desire to touch every inch of their body, admiring how soft their skin feels under your fingertips. The desire to make love to someone, not just fuck them out of their brains. The ability to enjoy the silence together, rather than constantly spit out empty words for the sake of having a conversation.

She felt like that kind of love was worth losing, simply for the sake of having it. Even if it's just for a minute or for ten years. As someone once said, it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. It was frustrating that each of her relationship was deemed a failure, yet on the surface of it all everything seemed perfect. Elijah was the perfect boyfriend, fiancé and would have been the perfect husband. But the spark just wasn't there, the passion was gone, and she couldn't fake it any longer. He deserved better than that.

* * *

"She's pretty impressive." Damon exclaimed with a smirk on his face, whilst slipping out of his shorts and changing into joggers. He had a strict workout regime and usually went to the gym five times a week.

"Oh yeah, I know. I've met her a few times; her fiancé was always jealous of anyone around her. Can't blame him though, she always had someone after her." Alaric smirked as sat on the bench and reached down to tie the shoelaces of his trainers.

"You mean the Elijah guy? I didn't know she was engaged to him." He raised his brows, as he grabbed his protein shake from the locker.

Alaric ran his hand through his hair and shrugged his shoulders. "She used to be. From what Jenna told me anyway, but she left him a while ago."

"How does Jenna know her?" Damon responded dryly.

"Elena's her cousin. They have a close relationship." He rambled casually.

"Oh." He answered, pleasantly surprised. Maybe running into her again would be easier than he thought. "When's your date night with Jenna, or whatever you call it?" He questioned eagerly.

"Tonight, why?" Alaric sent him a questioning look.

"Make it a double. And get your girlfriend to bring Elena." His lips curved into a smirk.

"Seriously, can't you just call her yourself like a normal guy?"

"I could, but I don't have her number. Bonnie won't help because as far as her mind goes i'm a dick and nowhere near good enough to breathe in the same air as her best friend." He rolled his eyes. "So, you're the only one left."

"I'm not sure what makes you think Jenna doesn't share her opinion, but I'll try." He chuckled, as they both walked out the gym and made their way to the car.

Alaric continued, as they threw their duffel bags onto the backseat. "But if it doesn't, there's plenty of other fish in the sea. One even climbed out of your bed this morning."

Damon shrugged his shoulders, he didn't even recall the girls name - she probably didn't even mention it. Being single and the CEO of _Salvatore Inc_ gave him a good reputation and labelled him as desirable. The company was founded by his father, Giuseppe Salvatore, whom he truly looked up to and worked hard to make proud. They managed to open fifteen designer stores selling highly prestigious menswear and accessories. Damon oversaw the business management in New York and he has established himself as a successful businessman, as well as a great leader. He was passionate about his job and he took great care of his employees, a trait he had inherited from his father.

Damon was the spitting image of Giuseppe - the ocean blue eyes, sharp jawline and dark raven hair. He always saw his father as a role model, a man that he wanted to be like when he grew up. They had a very close relationship and were great business partners. Damon's younger brother Stefan, also worked in the company but he was in the marketing sector. He was more like their mother, Lillian - his features were a bit softer. He had pale green eyes, caramel blonde hair and a little warmer complexion. His personality was also somewhat more delicate, he wasn't as headstrong, and he didn't share the same level of confidence. Nevertheless, they all shared a deep bond.

"I was out of it yesterday, Andie came over and she pissed me off, as always." His jaw tightened at the thought of his ex-girlfriend, who desperately wanted to get out of the 'ex zone'.

"What did she want now?" Alaric laughed, climbing into the passenger seat and putting on his seat belt.

"To get back together, then get married and all that shit. She is fucking crazy, she called my mom and cried to her about how heartless I am." Damon growled as he ran one hand through his raven hair, leaving it a mess.

Andie was Damon's secretary and that's how they met. She truly loved Damon, it was a love at first sight in her book. It was the only serious relationship that Damon had, and he had tried to be a decent boyfriend while it lasted. He was faithful, and he respected Andie, maybe he even loved her on some level. But he never thought of her as his future wife or the mother of his children, the mere thought of that sent a shiver down his spine. She was controlling, needy and couldn't contain her jealousy. The top three things that broke a relationship, in Damon's view.

In truth he had never planned on settling down with one woman and being with her for the rest of his life. He saw the love his parents shared for one another, but he had never looked at a woman the way that his father still looks at his mom. He had never felt the desire to wake up next to the same face every day of his life. He knew that this kind of love exists, hell even Alaric fell into this trap and couldn't imagine a future without Jenna in it. To Damon's disappointment of course, as his drinking buddy didn't feel the need to binge on Bourbon on Friday nights anymore. Maybe it was the right time for him to get something more out of a relationship?

Would Elena be another meaningless one nightstand, whom he'd forget about the minute she stepped out the door? He didn't like placing her into that particular category, it didn't sit right with him to do that. She had captivated him with her beauty: she looked gentle yet fierce, she matched his pace and understood his humour. She was confident and seemed determined, knew what she wanted and how she wanted it. He usually intimidated women, they became soft and told him what they thought he wanted to hear. But not Elena, she felt different... He wasn't sure if it was different in a good or bad way, but he sure as hell needed to find that out sooner, rather than later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **A/N: Thank you for all your reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter x**

* * *

"We're all going to the lake house next weekend?" Elena questioned, taking a sip from her coffee

"Yes, and it's going to be great! The weather should be lovely, we'll have a barbeque, go hiking, swim in the lake. It will be so good before the whole wedding chaos finally kicks in." She looked over at her friend, clutching at her own cup of coffee in her hand.

Caroline's family had a lake house located in Holmes, just on the outskirts of New York City. It was a place where the girls spent most of their summer whilst they were in high school. Elena loved being surrounded by nature and being woken up by birds singing. It was a place where you could really combe through your thoughts and enjoy the silence, forgetting about the quick pace of life in New York.

"I guess I could really do with some days off, but I doubt I'll be able to get off work. It's been quite hectic recently." She grimaced, as she shifted in her seat.

"That's why you have me, silly! I arranged everything already and you are free to go for 4 days." The grin on her face widened as she kept her eyes eagerly set on Elena, awaiting a response.

"Are you serious? Elijah just agreed, no questions asked?" You could hear the slight disbelief in her voice. Elijah wasn't a monster who didn't allow for days off, but they only had a few lawyers working at the firm and it had recently began to attract a bigger group of clients, thus the workload had significantly increased.

Elena and Elijah met when she was doing work experience at a commercial law firm in New York, where she got to work alongside of him. He was five years older than her, handsome, mature and knew what he wanted from life. The guys that she had dated before Elijah were the opposite of him, they lacked ambition and the maturity that she had admired.

It wasn't love at first sight and she wasn't blinded by the feeling, but there was a spark between them and an undeniable connection. After Elena passed the bar, Elijah and Klaus had suggested that the three of them should open a law practice together, which is how they became business partners and formed _"_ _Mikaelson & Gilbert". _Whilst they all held equal shares and were of equal importance, she respected that Elijah and Klaus had far more experience and knowledge in the field, so it made sense for one of them to manage the place.

"Well duh, plus I got Klaus on my side so there wasn't much to discuss." Elena laughed as Caroline rolled her eyes. "He can't expect you to devote every single second of your life to work, just because he does. You need to live a little, Lena."

"I know, I just feel so guilty every time I see him, it's like the world stopped spinning for him ever since the break-up."

"It's been a year, you've moved on, a number of times might I add." She arched her brows suggestively. "He will never move forward if he still thinks that there's a chance that you'll come back to him."

Elena pursed her lips together, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "There isn't a chance. Not after everything that happened. It couldn't have ended in a worse way. I wasn't the only person that he lost in all of this."

Caroline reached out her hand and placed it on Elena's shoulder, trying to comfort her. "I know sweetie, but he wasn't the only one that lost something. Don't blame yourself for what happened, Elijah has never once thought that it was your fault."

"But it killed him, ever since that day something inside of him just broke and he's never been the same again. I did that to him, and now he's constantly unhappy because of me. Sometimes I really think I should just quit and find a new job. As they say out of sight, out of mind." She fought the tears welling up in her eyes.

Caroline grabbed a box of tissues and handed it to Elena. "Don't you dare give up on that place so easily. You are business partners Elena, he is 33 years old and should know how to separate his personal life from work. Maybe you should talk to him about all of this, like once and for all make things perfectly clear."

"Well hello my beautiful ladies, what are you gossiping about again?" Klaus' British accent echoed through the kitchen, as he walked in carrying grocery bags. The cheeky grin on his face and eyes that lit up at the sight of Caroline spoke for the happiness that he was feeling. He placed the bags on the counter and strolled over to Caroline, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

She eagerly kissed him back and then looked up to meet his gaze and return the smile. "Actually, we were just talking about going to the lake house next weekend. Elena is totally on board with the idea."

"Really Elena, you don't mind having to drive for over an hour and a half with Damon, in the same car?" He smirked and sat down next to Elena, playfully ruffling her hair.

She gasped in surprise and turned to look at Caroline. "Damon? Since when is he going to the lake house?"

Caroline sent a glare in Klaus' direction and mumbled something under her breath. "I haven't told her yet! I was about to and then you just casually barged in here." She crossed her arms over her chest. "That's the plan that Klaus and I had come up with last night, right baby?"

"Huh, oh yeah, of course. We were planning all night long." He replied jokingly, holding in a laugh. When Caroline had her mind set on something, there was no backing down. So naturally, Klaus had gone along with whatever she had planned. After all she had her best friend's interest at heart and he also cared a lot for Elena.

Elena glared at them both. "Are you trying to set me up?"

"No, of course not!" She immediately shook her head. "I just thought it would be nice for you to have someone there. Otherwise you'd be stuck with couples, because Bonnie and Enzo will also be there. And Damon is Enzo's best friend, so we thought it's a good opportunity to get to know each other." The words rapidly escaped her lips one by one in a nervous manner.

Elena tilted her head and eyed them up carefully. "Yeah right, that doesn't sound suspicious at all. But whatever, fine. I don't mind. At least I won't have to deal with you two being all lovey-dovey in the back of my car."

"Hey! We're cute and you know it." Caroline laughed and threw a pillow at Elena's face.

* * *

The quick city getaway seemed like a really good idea and something that Elena needed. She couldn't remember the last time she went on a proper vacation; the previous year had been difficult and full of unpleasant events. As a coping mechanism she threw herself into a cycle of work, going to the gym and the casual one nightstand with a dreamy guy who knew exactly which buttons to press. It was numbing in a good way, for a while at least. But she had learnt the hard way that being numb to pain was better than experiencing a full on blow every time.

To her surprise, Jenna, her cousin invited her out for dinner. Elena was thankful to have Jenna in the city, she looked up to her and treated her like an older sister. Especially after her break up, Jenna was the only single friend that she had, and it felt good to have someone who didn't have it all figured out yet. However as of recently, Jenna started seeing Alaric, an accountant that she met at a party and she seemed to be really smitten with him. The guy was good looking, Elena thought. He had a well-built physique, ashy blonde hair, a golden complexion and light blue eyes. There was a certain warmth that emanated from him and he genuinely seemed like a good person.

It was 5pm and she had just stepped out of the shower, her body wrapped in a white Egyptian cotton towel. She blow-dried her hair in the bathroom and went on to apply passion fruit scented moisturizer all over her body. The outfit she had picked out was laid out on her king-sized bed: she decided to go with a grey and red tank top, paired with high-waisted washed out jeans, red pumps and her favourite black leather jacket. To finish the look off she picked out a small red purse to throw over her shoulder. She had decided to keep her dark chocolate hair straight and simple, a slight change from the usual curls.

Jenna picked up Elena from her place, as it was difficult enough to find one car parking space in the City. The girls arrived at the restaurant first, and they stood waiting outside the entrance.

"He should be here any minute." Jenna said loudly, pulling out her phone and checking for any messages.

"Okay." Elena nodded and gave her a brief smile.

Her eyes began wandering around in search of Jenna's boyfriend. The city was very much becoming alive and the streets were completely flooded with people. Among the group of strangers, she recognised Damon, who seemed to be approaching the two of them.

"Shit." Elena mumbled under her breath. _He must have thought that they were someone else, right? Why else would he bother coming up to her?_ A thousand thoughts swept through her mind.

"What?" Jenna dragged her eyes away from the screen and looked over at the startled Elena.

Before Elena had the chance to speak up, Damon was already standing next to them, a wide grin on his face. He was wearing dark blue Levi's and a dark grey v neck t-shirt. The clothes were a slim fit and they complimented his muscular physique.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" Jenna was the first to break the silence, clearly, she hadn't expected him to be there either.

"It's double date night, isn't?" He winked at Jenna, before finally setting his gaze on Elena. He instantly picked up on the surprised expression on her face. Her doe eyes were completely focused on him and her pink lips slightly parted. _Could she be any more perfect?_

"Elena, it's good to see you again."

It took a second to process that the words leaving his mouth were aimed at her. In fact, the only thing she could focus on was his mouth, and the way his lips had looked so soft and tender - so kissable.

She quickly cleared her throat and gave him a sweet smile. "I guess you're a man of your word."

"You guess correctly." He pressed his lips into a flirtatious smile.

She felt the blood rush to her cheeks, as she desperately tried to keep her smile from widening any further. He did not need to know how easily his words affected her. For a matter of fact, she didn't understand herself why she was acting like a teenager who was about to lose her virginity to her high school sweetheart.

"I have no clue what's going on here and how the hell you two know each other, but Alaric's here so let's go!" Jenna exclaimed, gesturing at them to follow her.

* * *

The evening went by in a friendly atmosphere, with a whole lot of laughter, amazing cuisine and fine red wine. It felt natural and comfortable to be around Damon. He was easy going, he made her laugh and she felt like she could be herself around him. Even Alaric turned out to be a good company. It was really obvious that him and Jenna made a good couple - they couldn't keep their hands off each other, kept sharing secret kisses and glances. Their sweet relationship was something she found herself envious of.

It was almost 22:00 when the group decided to call it a night. Jenna was staying over at Alaric's, so they went off together, leaving Elena alone with Damon.

Damon picked up Elena's black leather jacket from the chair and handed it to her. "Here, put it on. It's probably gotten cold."

"Thanks." She gave him a fleeting smile and took the jacket from his hands.

"I'll walk you home, you shouldn't be walking on your own at this time."

Elena didn't protest. It was a nice gesture and she didn't want to part ways just yet.

He awkwardly jammed his hands into his pockets, not knowing what to do with them as they began walking. The sky was clear, and it was not supposed to rain, so despite the chilly breeze the weather was perfect for a walk.

"Is this what you do in your free time, walk lonely girls home?" She arched her brow in amusement.

He laughed.

"The only lonely girl I care about walking home is you." Her heart flustered, but she did her best to ignore the feeling.

She crossed her arms over her chest, looked over at him and smiled. She felt empty for words.

"By the way, you look stunning tonight, if it isn't obvious." Damon leaned over her shoulder and whispered right into her ear. His voice came off husky and it sent a shiver of warmth down her body.

She grinned at his comment. "I must admit I didn't peg you for the romantic type. But thank you."

He chuckled. "That's a common misconception. I'm not as bad as they make me look."

"It wouldn't be such a bad thing if you weren't." She gave a nonchalant shrug. "But since I can get the answers straight from the source, who is Damon Salvatore and what is he like?" She bit her lower lip, eyes eagerly set on him, awaiting a response.

That surprised him. Not many women actually wanted to get to know him. They were always interested in how much money he made, what car he drove, where he lived. They didn't care for the person that he was. This was a nice change.

"Well, let's see." He furrowed his brows. "He's 30 years old and the CEO of Salvatore Inc. He's very strong headed. Sarcastic most of the time. A realist, doesn't believe in random luck. Pretty easy going - you don't want to get on his bad side though. And obviously, a sexy motherfucker. I'm not arguing with that." He chuckled lightly.

She let out a loud laugh at his last remark. "And the happy owner of a humongous ego. Don't worry, I'll let that slide." She tilted her head to the side and winked.

"Hey, I've been growing it for over 30 years, don't overlook the hard work."

"I can see that, Mr CEO. So, Salvatore Inc, huh? That's quite impressive. My dad always gets his suits from there, and he does not just shop anywhere." She rolled her eyes.

"What can I say, the man has a good taste. Let me know if he'd want an autograph." His lips pressed into a grin.

"I'll ask him the next time I talk to him." She hit his arm playfully. "But seriously, that's a big achievement at such a young age, Damon. Your parents must be proud of you." She was impressed, it was obvious that he wasn't just sex on legs. He was an intelligent man with a great passion for his job and the people involved in the business.

"It was actually my father who founded the company back in the 70's, I'm managing the New York side of things. Honestly, ever since I've been a little boy I've always dreamed of following the footsteps of my father. And to see the hard work, turn into something so meaningful and successful years later, is honestly the best feeling."

Elena loved hearing him being so genuine and seeing the happiness on his face as he spoke about his job. His voice softened ever so slightly at the mention of his father, it was clear that they shared a deep bond, and that made her feel happy for him. She never had a close relationship with her parents: they were loving and supportive, but also distant and always busy with their careers.

"Yeah, I understand. I kind of had that same feeling when I passed my bar and finally started working at the firm. I finally had something of my own to cherish and be proud of. That's why I love my job." She was looking down at her feet as they carried on walking.

"And that's why you're seriously good at what you do. I have heard a lot about your accomplishments, Miss Gilbert." Damon glanced at her.

She instantly blushed. _Thank God that it was dark, and he couldn't see her face._ "I'm assuming that Bonnie kept you informed?" Her lips lifted at the corner.

"Bonnie, Enzo, Jenna. It's honestly a mystery how we hadn't known each other until yesterday." He smirked.

"Well, if Bonnie had anything to do with it than I can see why that's the case." She laughed. "But I guess we're going to be catching up, I heard that you're coming with us to the lake house next weekend." She turned to face him, biting her bottom lip.

Damon caught the excitement beaming from her chocolate brown eyes. It made him feel happy, knowing that she didn't mind the idea of him joining the trip. Hell, maybe she had even liked it.

"Yeah, I am. How do you feel about that?" He questioned, keeping his eyes on her. He didn't really know why, but he wanted to hear her say that she wants him there. Or at least something to that effect.

"Good." She said softly. Although now that she heard herself, it came off quite seductive. They stood still, facing one another on an empty street. The cold breeze had gotten stronger, but her body temperature was soaring. All she could focus on was the overwhelming smell of his musky cologne, dancing around her. She could easily reach out to trace his jawline with her delicate fingertips or run her fingers through his thick raven hair. He was so close, yet so far.

"Good?" He replied in a hoarse voice. He couldn't be any sexier if he tried. She suddenly felt his warm fingertips holding her chin up, and she felt her chest gently rest against his. With has hand still under her chin, his thumb began to trace her bottom lip and her lips automatically parted. God, she just wanted him to kiss her already.

His stone cold blue eyes never left hers, his stare was penetrating deep into her soul. He heard her breath quicken and he was sure that her heart was almost beating its way out of her chest, just like his. The moment her lips parted, he knew she wanted him to kiss her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **A/N: Once again thank you for your continued support. I love reading every single review and the feedback that you guys give me. Please do not hesitate to message me any suggestions that you may have. I appreciate every single person who takes the time out of their day to read this story. Thank you! I hope you enjoy this one x**

* * *

 _I don't kiss on first dates._ Really? She cursed at herself, furious at her own objection. Who even says stuff like that, maybe a 10-year old. But you don't say things like that to a guy like Damon Salvatore, no woman would ever dream of turning him down. She was so close to his lips. All she had to do was gently lean in and their lips would finally touch.

"You don't kiss on first dates?" Damon repeated. He was a little startled, but mostly amused.

"Ehm, well yeah. I mean I like you, I really do Damon." She was nervously spitting the words out one by one. "I just don't want you to get the wrong picture."

The anger and confusion welled up in her. Yes, she had wanted to kiss him, badly. But this was usually what happened with one nightstands. They would kiss, things would get heated and they would end up in bed together. The next morning, they would forget about the other's existence and move on with their life. That's what didn't sit right with her, she simply didn't want Damon to be one of those guys. It felt like this was too important to screw up. This was a man she was attracted to not just physically, but also intellectually. Everything about him was intriguing and he made her heart skip a beat, which was not a frequent occurrence in her life. He made her feel things no one had ever done before, and she didn't want to ruin that.

Damon chuckled. He gently lifted her chin with his finger, so her eyes were now on his. "Hey, it's ok. I respect that."

"You don't think that I'm being ridiculous?" She asked.

He pressed his index finger to her lips, getting her to be quiet. "You are many things. You're beautiful, witty. But ridiculous does not even make it to the list."

Elena laughed softly. She reached to move his finger from her lips, which resulted in them holding hands. "You got all of this from the first date? I wonder what the next ones will bring."

"Are you asking me out on our second date? Because just so you know, I'm all in for finding out every single little secret of yours." Damon grinned.

"Don't get too excited. I don't kiss on second dates either."

"That's fine by me. But remember, I am not getting any younger here." He laughed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She returned the laugh and it reassured him that it has become one of his favourite sounds. To see her relaxed and happy again was the best sight, and he suddenly didn't regret that they hadn't kissed. Surely it would have been amazing, but the moment wasn't right. She wasn't ready for it, and he didn't want to push her. Elena was someone worth waiting for, that he was sure of.

"Come on, let's get you home." He said softly, pulling her along. They started walking, still holding hands.

"You don't even know where you're going. It's this way." She giggled, pulling him in the other direction. "How about I lead the way and you spill the beans. Let's play a game of 21 questions."

"You really are one of a kind." He chuckled. "Only if I also get to ask you questions."

"Sure." She nodded in agreement.

"Okay then, shoot."

"Hm..What is your middle name?" She asked innocently.

"Lorenzo." He replied. "Where did you grow up?"

"Atlanta born and raised. I lived there until I left for law school here in New York."

"Which law school did you go to?" He looked at her.

"Hey, it's my turn now!" She punched him playfully. "Yale University. Now I get to ask you two questions. Any ex-girlfriends?" You could hear the curiosity in her voice.

"Just one." He added with a shrug. "Well two, if you count my high school fling."

"I didn't expect such a low number" She chuckled. "I'm pretty sure that women are all over you anywhere you go."

"Most of them only offer good looks." He added unbothered. "It's hard to find someone who actually has something to offer beyond that. And I guess I'm not interested in anything less for the long-term."

Elena nodded in agreement, understanding his perspective. This answer had surprised her, it wasn't what she thought Damon Salvatore would say. At least not according to Bonnie. But there was so much more to him than the arrogant, cold exterior that he presented to the outside world every day. It felt special and refreshing to experience the real side of him.

* * *

"So, this is me." Elena gestured at the house in right in front of them.

Damon took in the sight before him, nodding in admiration. "It's a nice place that you've got yourself. But it's quite big to live in by yourself, do you have security?" He asked worried.

"Yep. I was a bit scared of living here all by myself at first, but I've grown to love it. The neighbourhood is quite safe." She smiled softly. The idea of Damon being worried about her safety made her feel all sorts of warm and tingly sensations inside.

"Okay, but if you ever get scared again, I'm just one call away." He winked at her.

She shook her head, smiling. "I'll be sure to note that down. Thank you for walking me home, Damon." She tiptoed and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Just doing my duty in the neighbourhood watch." He chuckled, struggling to keep his eyes away from her. "Have a goodnight, speak to you soon?"

"Where's the confidence, Mr Salvatore? I thought you always get what you want." She winked at him, before she turned around and started walking away. Before she opened her gate, she quickly looked over her shoulder and gave him a big smile. "Goodnight Damon, I had a great time."

* * *

Rays of sunshine peeked through the long dark curtains alerting the brunette that it is time to get up. Monday morning always seemed to show up too quickly. The world was eager to wake up and start up another day. She lazily stretched out her hand towards the nightstand and reached for her iPhone, switching off the alarm. It was 6am and time for her to drag herself out of bed and make herself presentable

By the time she arrived at work it was already 08:00 am and the car park was beginning to fill up. "Great, just what I was hoping for." She let out a heavy sight as her feet dropped on the ground and she walked towards the building. It was still relatively empty, the only sound beaming through the walls was the sound of her heels hitting the floor.

"Good Morning Elena." Rose, her trusted secretary, greeted her happily as she arrived at her office.

Elena returned the warm smile, stopping by her desk. "Hey, what dragged you in so early today?"

"Elijah." Rose rolled her eyes. "He needed something done asap, and apparently Camille is off sick today, so I had to come to his rescue."

Good old Elijah, always butting in where he wasn't needed. "He really needs to stop hogging you, I'll talk to him. I hope he hasn't given you too much work?"

Rose let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "No, it's all good. I can handle everything. Would you like me to get you a coffee?"

"Got one already." She pointed at the travel mug in her hand and giggled. "Thanks Rose." Elena gave her a brief smile before walking into her office and shutting the door behind her.

Elena stepped into her office and shut the glass door behind her. She carefully placed the travel mug on the desk and took her jacket off. A post-it note on her laptop screen reminded her that she had a meeting scheduled for 9.30 with a client. This left her some time to look over the case files and prepare accordingly. Initially, the plan was to look over them at the weekend, but that turned out to be quite eventful and work was simply not on her agenda.

Most people would describe her as a workaholic. Most of her free time was devoted to working on cases, meeting with clients, preparing court documents. However recently she found Damon to be quite a good distraction. Maybe not so much physically, seeing as they've only met twice. But he was very much present in her mind. She didn't know if this infatuation would turn into something deeper, but at the same time she had never felt a connection so strong to anyone before. Does something like that ever really go away?

A quiet knock on the door brought her back to reality. She lifted her head up and her eyes instantly fell on Elijah. His body was resting against the doorframe, his hands casually in his pants pockets.

"Hey, you're early today." He sent her a brief smile. He was dressed impeccably, as always.

"Hey. Yeah, I needed to get some work done before my meeting."

"Busy weekend?"

"Yeah, kind of." She rushed her answer, smiling lightly. "What about you, did you do much?"

"No, not really." His fingers were now tapping against the door. "I just wanted to say that it's not a problem for you to go away next week."

Elena chuckled. "Oh yeah, I heard that Caroline had convinced you. Thanks for that, by the way." She sat on the edge of her desk.

He laughed. "She didn't need to convince me. You deserve to have some time off work. And for future reference, you don't need my permission. You're as much of a boss here as I am." He said in a sincere voice.

"Thanks Elijah. I really can't wait to get away for a bit, so after all maybe I do need the time off more often." She nodded in agreement and laughed.

Their conversations hadn't changed, it was still as natural as breathing to have small talks and feel comfortable around him. Elijah felt like home, in a way. He was the man who was her rock for so many years, the man whose embrace she found shelter in on a bad day, a man she loved with all she had, at one point. Then suddenly one day, it was gone. The only reminder of what they had was the love that still beamed through his eyes every time he looked at her.

"I'm sure you'll have a good time. Who else is going?" His question was causal.

"The usual. Klaus, Caroline, Bonnie, Enzo." She hesitated before continuing. "And Damon Salvatore."

His interest peaked at the mention of his name. "Damon, isn't that Enzo's boss?" His brows arched in curiosity.

That was the case, Enzo worked at Salvatore Inc for a number of years. He was in the public relations and marketing team.

"Yeah, that too. He's been friends with Enzo for some time now." She added.

"I didn't realise that you know him."

"I didn't. We met a couple of days ago." She replied, eager to end the conversation and avoid the direction in which it was heading. The last thing she needed was Elijah warning her about some guy trying to get into her pants.

Luckily, Rose stepped into her office. "Sorry to interrupt. Elena, I've got Mr Lockwood on the line for you." She smiled politely.

Elena nodded, signalling her approval. "Thanks Rose, put him through."

"I'll leave you to it." She heard Elijah say with a sigh, as he closed the door behind him. He sounded disappointed, but there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

"Elena, I understand everything. I was young once too. You can have all the sex you want, but one of these days you'll have to settle down."

"Mom!" Elena exclaimed embarrassed. "I am not discussing my sex life with you and no I don't have to settle down. I'm not even thirty yet!"

Miranda sighed, shaking her head. "Honey, you're not twenty either. You don't have all the time in the world anymore. Look at your brother, he's two years younger than you and he's already a father."

"Seriously, you're pulling the Jeremy card again?" Elena rolled her eyes. This is what every phone call between Elena and her mother looked like. The ever so tiring monologue of how she is yet to find a husband, how all her friends are in a relationship and how she is too focused on work.

Whilst her parents recognised Elena's hard work and admired the career that she had built for herself, they were worried about her personal life. Well, they were immensely happy with it until she broke up with her fiancé. Miranda had never understood the breakup, nor did she agree with it. Consequently, she was angry at Elena for being "childish" and "wrecking a good relationship for no reason". Elena never bothered to tell them the whole truth about what happened, it was easier not to.

Grayson, Elena's father, had a very different relationship with Elena. He was much more affectionate and less judgemental, he never really interfered with her decisions. But he was a very busy man, being a cardiologist meant that he spent most of his time at work. However, they managed to maintain a close relationship.

"Elena, I'm just worried about you. That's my job as your mother." Miranda highlighted the fact, as always. "When will you visit us? It's been a while since the last time you came."

 _I wonder why._ "Well I keep telling you that I'm perfectly happy with my life and you just don't listen." She replied clearly annoyed. "I probably won't come until Emma's birthday party. I'm busy at work."

Emma was Jeremy's two-year-old daughter - and Elena's favourite person in the entire world. The one thing that made living in New York suck was the fact that she could only see Emma every few months. Her upcoming birthday party in May would be one of those occasions - the whole family was invited, and Elena couldn't miss it.

"Well, at least you can make it to that." Miranda said, not hiding the disappointment in her voice. "Aunt Suzie will be coming. She told me that Emily is seeing a very handsome young doctor. She can already hear the wedding bells ringing." She giggled.

"Great for her mom. I'm sure we'll get to meet him at the party." Elena sighed.

"Oh, I can't wait. Suzie is also worried about you, she addressed this with me recently. You're such a gorgeous girl Elena, yet for some reason you can't keep a man. Maybe you should ask Emily for advice, clearly she's doing something better than you in this department." Miranda suggested casually.

 _Aunt Suzie can screw herself._ Elena cursed under her breath, as she felt patience evaporating from her body. Her mom knew perfectly well how to cross the boundaries, she would push and push until she finally got her way.

"You know what, no need for that. I'm bringing someone to the party. And, he will knock your socks off." Elena exclaimed, without any further consideration.

* * *

What the hell was she going to do now? How could she be so stupid and say something like that, when there was no one she had been planning to take to the party. There was not a single guy in her life that she could take to her parents and introduce him as... As who actually? She was too old to do the whole 'fake dating' thing for a day, simply for the sake of having her mother quit moaning. It was too late to back down now, Miranda would never stop bothering her about not having a boyfriend. There was only one option.

"Hello?" He answered on the 3rd ring. She muttered something to herself, clearly not prepared for the conversation. Truthfully, she was hoping he wouldn't answer.

"Damon, hi. It's Elena?" She mumbled, trying to sound anything but nervous.

"Elena." He sounded positively surprised. "You sure know how to make my day." He chuckled.

"You're probably wondering how I got your number." She said embarrassed.

"Not at all. To know that you went out of your way to get it gives me plenty of satisfaction. So, I'm not going to question the motive." He had a wide grin on his face, as he leaned back into his chair. "How have you been doing?"

Elena laughed, easing into the conversation. "I'm much better now actually, thank you. I'm kind of calling to ask you for a favour."

"I'm all ears." He answered, simply curious and perhaps a little excited.

"This is going to sound really crazy. Mainly because it really is crazy." She furrowed her brows. "Would you be willing to come with me to Georgia next month for my niece's birthday party?". She blurted out nervously and as quickly as possible.

There was a short silence on his end before he managed to reply. "As who?" He smirked. She had surprised him, but in the best way possible.

"Um, well as a friend. I mean we are friends, right." She stuttered a little, she didn't expect him to ask that question so soon.

"Sure, for now." He said confidently. "Who am I to say no to such a beautiful woman? It will be my pleasure to join you." He exclaimed sincerely, the happiness in his voice echoed through the phone. Friends or not friends, he'd get to spend a whole weekend with Elena Gilbert. There was nothing to complain about.

Elena smiled widely as relief washed over her. "Thank you, Damon. I owe you big time."

"I'll think of a good payback. In the meantime, don't be a stranger." He said swiftly, making her heart skip a beat.

"I won't." She bit her lip, still smiling, as he hung up.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for all your lovely reviews and the support! Sorry for the delay and the short chapter. Next one will be much longer and has some smut in it, personally one of my favs. So please continue to review if you want the story to be continued. Have a lovely week x**

* * *

"I didn't realize that I'd be getting my personal chauffeur." Elena grinned, pulling her luggage behind her. Two suitcases for four days didn't seem excessive at all, especially considering the initial struggle of bringing it down to just two.

"I didn't realize that we're going away for at least two weeks. Judging by your luggage, of course." Damon chuckled and took the suitcases from her, his hand gently brushing hers in the process. The rosy pink cheeks and wide smile showing off her perfectly white teeth had his heart melting.

In truth, she looked the most carefree he had ever seen her. Her chocolate brown hair was left naturally straight, there was no trace of makeup on her face apart from some mascara and a clear lip gloss on her lips. She was wearing a comfortable pair of black joggers, white sneakers and a cropped grey tee which gave him a glimpse of her toned abs. A blue denim jacket was draped over her shoulders. He couldn't help but admit to himself that he preferred her this way, so bare and natural just for him - something that he hasn't thought of any woman before.

"But hey, I'm not judging." He winked at her, opening the truck and carefully placing the suitcases inside of it. Elena laughed and climbed into the passenger seat of his car. He shortly followed.

"Well not everyone rolls out of bed looking perfect. It's not enough for me to throw on random clothes, wash my face and call it a day." She replied, once he got into the car.

"And how would you know, I don't recall you witnessing me rolling out of bed." He teased. "Although the concept sounds very appealing."

"I have eyes, Damon." She briefly spared him a glance before turning her attention back to the window, focusing her attention on their surrounding. "Also, I have witnessed some bed rolling before and I strongly stand by my theory." She grinned to herself.

"Not as innocent as you look, huh." He kept his eyes on the road, but he was keenly observing her from the side.

"First impressions are usually misleading." She added casually, as she propped her feet up on the seat and hugged her knees into her chest. "I guess when you're almost thirty and single, it's kind of how things work. You have to go through some bad apples to finally find the good one."

He chuckled slightly at her response. "Some people just randomly stumble upon a random person and know that that's it. I'm guessing you're not one of these people." He sounded hopeful, like he'd wanted her to look at him and have an epiphany of some sort. _Right, wishful thinking or what._

"I've never experienced it, so I guess not." The response wasn't a disappointing one, in fact he appreciated the fact that no other man had seemed to fit the bill in her eyes.

"If you don't mind me asking, you were engaged right?" He saw her nod in response, so he continued. "So why did you want to marry the guy if you didn't feel like he's the right one?"

A few seconds passed before she released a long sigh and gave an answer. "Hm, a lot of stupid reasons. With Elijah everything was seriously great until one day it just wasn't." She looked over at him, curious of his reaction.

"Do you regret that it didn't work out?" He questioned, somewhat dreading the response.

"No. It was the best decision I ever made." Elena said firmly.

He instantly smiled, an involuntary reaction to her words. "As odd as it may sound, I'm happy that it didn't work out."

She raised her brows, surprised at his remark.

"I'm glad that you didn't get married, because if you did, we wouldn't be here today. In my car, together." She felt the blood rush to her cheeks, as she returned the smile.

"Me too."

* * *

"Wow, it's just as beautiful as I remembered." Elena happily jumped out of the car and twirled around, admiring the view. The trees had beautifully bloomed, the grass was a sultry shade of emerald green and the air was fresh - a huge contrast from the everyday scenery of New York.

She began to stretch out her limbs and took a deep breath in, the peace already settling in. Damon stood there, leaning against his car and observing her. Elena Gilbert was a sight and a half, especially when she was stretching out like a cat right in front of him, which was doing all sorts of things to him. He painfully forced himself to look away, attempting to ignore the way she had bent over to reach her toes right in front of him. Those angles directed his mind to one place only. _Was she completely unaware of what she was doing to him?_

"I can see where you're coming from." He chuckled, as she turned around and flashed him a smile. It was crazy how one second she could turn him on with just one seductive look or a gentle bite of her bottom lip, and then the next second she smiled at him like he was the best thing she had ever seen and he wanted nothing more but to make her happy.

Elena slowly walked up to him, her arms folded over her chest and her chocolate brown eyes glistening with pure excitement. "Come on, we're the first ones here. I'll show you around some of my favorite places."

The rest of them arrived shortly after, as they finally began unpacking and preparing for the long evening outside. The lake house was decently sized as it consisted of five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen and a lounge area, which had a lovely fireplace installed. Perfect for long evenings or rainy days. Each couple had a room to themselves, apart from Damon and Elena who had their own bedrooms.

Klaus and Damon were in charge of preparing meat for the barbecue, so they were sent off into the kitchen to get going. The kitchen had dark wooden floors, paper white walls and dark grey wooden kitchen cabinets.

The groceries were laid out on the counter, creating a colorful collage of seasonal vegetables, fruits and a mix of spices. Each couple arrived with a trunk full of food and alcohol, as there were no supermarkets nearby. The house was isolated in a perfect location: a large dark forest, a small refreshing lake and a beautiful backyard full of flowers and a tiny pond with fish in it.

Klaus walked over to the fridge, pulling out two bottles of cold beer. "Want one?" He said, gesturing at Damon with the bottle in his hand.

"Sure, thanks." Damon grabbed the bottle and took a sip. It was nice and refreshing, just what he needed after a two hour drive. Although the two hours were spent in Elena's company, which was amazing in itself, the drive was still tiring.

"So how's the whole you and Elena thing going?" Klaus asked casually, knowing that the girls were out by the lake supervising Enzo who was carrying the suitcases into their rooms.

"Slowly, I guess. She doesn't want to rush into anything. I'm still trying to figure her out, you know." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, that's Elena for you. She's had a rough year. But she's okay with you being here and that's always something."

"That's why I'm not rushing her. She's special, and I guess that I wouldn't mind seeing things going further." His fingers tapped against the glass bottle, as he stuck the free in hand in his pocket.

"If we're already on the subject, I guess it's a good time as any to warn you about my brother." He sighed uncomfortably. "You probably know this by now, but Elijah's still crazy about her."

Ah, that name again. He has never seen the guy, but he sure felt like he'd known him all his life.

"He's your brother?" Damon furrowed his brows.

"Yep." He remarked. "I'm not siding with him in all of this. We all get that things between them didn't work out, he doesn't see it that way though."

"I'm guessing it was a messy break up, huh?"

"That's one way to describe it." Klaus grimaced. "If he finds out that you're seeing Elena, I don't know how he'll react. He's ignored all of her fuck buddies, but that's because she didn't see them as her boyfriends. I imagine this would be different."

Damon didn't like the sound of that. It made him feel angry, annoyed, jealous? It was a conflicting mix of emotions, after all Elena was not 'his' to be jealous of. Yet he still felt the need to protect her, to be the one who she'd open up to, to be the one who she simply wants to be with. The thought of her ex boyfriend still wanting to be in the picture definitely got under his skin.

* * *

The guys were in the kitchen, finishing off the food and setting up the table. The three girls were sitting out in Caroline's bedroom, discussing the wedding plans and reading the wedding magazines that Caroline had brought all the way from home. The wedding was coming up in a few months, so the pressure to get everything ready and perfect for the big day, was immense: especially for the two bridesmaids who wanted their best friend to have the best day of her life.

A bottle of red wine was popped open on the dresser and the wine glasses were filled to the hilt. It was the perfect start to a perfect vacation.

"Elena what the hell happened when I was gone?" Bonnie popped the question, as soon as she shut the bedroom door. Elena sensed that this reaction was coming, mainly judging by the cold looks she'd received from Bonnie when she saw her with Damon.

She swirled the wine around in her glass, looking down at it. "Nothing worth mentioning. Why?"

"Seriously, how do you go from a ten second flirt to full on seeing Damon Salvatore? In a matter of days, may I add." The disapproval was evident in her voice.

Elena sighed, knowing that there was no way of escaping this conversation. "Bonnie, we're not seeing each other. I like spending time with him and he likes spending it with me" She said, attempting to sound casual about it. "He really isn't how you said he would be."

"This is what I like to call the pre-fuck stage." Caroline exclaimed, grinning widely and winking at Elena.

Bonnie frowned loudly. "Care, you are hopeless! This is Damon we're talking about. The very same Damon that doesn't get involved with anything remotely serious."

Caroline rolled her eyes and remarked fed up. "Why are you so hang up on the guy? Clearly he didn't find anyone decent enough to be serious with. Is that a crime?"

"A 31 year old man who's never been in a serious relationship before. Hm, yeah, get me some of that! All he does is screw women and then wave them goodbye, and Elena can do much better than that." Bonnie exclaimed angrily.

"Not everyone has to be in one, Bonnie. These women are perfectly aware of what their getting into. And it's not like we didn't do stuff like that when we were single." The argument was getting heated, and Elena really didn't want it to get out of hands, but it wasn't something that never happened. Bonnie was very opinionated and Caroline was more laid back, less interfering.

"We weren't whoring around." She replied frowning.

This time Elena reacted instantly. "Bonnie, what's gotten into you? You know what, I don't even care." She stood up from the bed and stood right in front of her. "Damon has been nothing but nice to me. He's respectful, funny and doesn't push me to do things that I don't want to do. And I'd really appreciate it if you didn't feel the need to bash on him every chance you get. I don't need you to act like my mum, I just need you to be on my side." She sighed, calming down.

"Actually, your mom would love him. He's a yummy piece of cake and we all know Miranda." Caroline added, chuckling.

"Care, not now, please." Elena rolled her eyes, her mom would indeed love Damon, but that was the last thing she wanted to think about.

"Fine, I'm sorry. I won't say anything anymore, although i'm not changing my mind. He's no good." She highlighted the fact. "But I love you and I want you to be happy." Bonnie half smiled, looking somewhat apologetic.

Elena returned the smile and hugged her. "Thank you Bonnie, I appreciate it. I promise I'll be careful."

"Great, now that we're sorted, can we please go back to talking about my wedding?" Caroline dropped all of the magazines on her bed and placed her hands on her hips, determined to get started.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A/N: **Thank you all so much for all the lovely reviews on the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy this one, so far it's my** **favorite. It'** **s nice to finally get the story to a different pace, where much more Delena smut will be occurring. Thank you for your time, I hope you've had a lovely weekend. x**

* * *

Bonnie reached for the handle of the door without knocking, she overheard Damon walking in earlier, so she assumed he was still in there. The door opened, but the bedroom looked empty - only a duffel bag left on the middle of the bed and some clothes scattered around it. She walked in, shutting the door behind her.

"What are you doing here?" She heard Damon question, he sounded annoyed at her intrusion. Bonnie turned to look at him, he must have been taking a shower as he was standing there with just a towel wrapped around his hips - water still dripping down his chest.

"What part of don't mess with my best friend don't you understand?" The determination on her face was fully on display.

"I'm not messing with her. How about you mind your own damn business, Bon-bon." He exclaimed, very much bothered by her presence.

Bonnie gasped. "This is my business. Elena is my best friend and she doesn't need you to have your way with her and then discard her like a piece of garbage. Deep down she wants a real relationship and we both know that you're not capable of that."

"How would you know what I'm capable of? All you ever do is frown upon everything that I do and just assume that I have bad intentions all year round. I told you, stay out of it."

"Because you did the exactly same thing to me, Damon!"

Damon laughed. "What are you talking about?"

"You honestly don't remember me? We've met before, Damon."

Now she had his full attention.

* * *

Caroline quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the nearest room. "Oh my god, you won't believe what I just heard."

Elena had a puzzled look on her face. "What?"

"Do you remember the guy that Bonnie slept with back in college, at some random party, he ditched her the next day and they like never spoke again?" She whispered, speaking quickly.

"Yeah, I remember the story. Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because I know who that guy is, Lena. It's Damon." She hissed through her teeth, lowering her voice even more.

Elena's eyes widened, and a small gasp escaped her lips. "Damon?"

Caroline nodded in response. "Yes. I just overheard their argument and she casually mentioned it like it was public knowledge. Now thinking about it, I remember her saying some crap about this stranger with dreamy blue eyes and how he was older, more mature and all that crap. That's why they don't get along, she's still mad at him for treating her like crap."

She instantly shook her head, startled. Out of all people in the world why did it have to be Bonnie, she was her best friend since childhood and now Elena was supposed to be getting involved with a guy that Bonnie had a thing with? It felt wrong on so many levels, but it also pieced all the puzzles together. Their dislike of one another, the constant bickering - it all came from a place of unresolved anger.

"I can't believe Damon didn't say anything, he knows that Bonnie is my best friend. And what about Enzo, how is he okay with all of this?" Elena stood in disbelief, the words leaving her mouth one by one without giving them a further thought. Caroline seemed just as shocked, she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, I mean it's been like 7 years, maybe he doesn't even know."

Elena didn't bother replying, the anger built up in her as she released a deep breath and stormed out of the room, letting the door slam behind her. She felt confused, disappointed and angry. How could it be that no one even bothered to tell her that these two had a history. Damon wasn't hers and she didn't have any right to be jealous or expect anything from him, but it still stung to know that there might have been something between them.

Elena rushed out onto the porch, needing some fresh air. The mere thought of bringing this up with Damon was exhausting and gave her a headache. It's not like she'd knew what to say anyway. Her feet carried her towards the deck, which stretched over the lake. Once she reached the end of it, she sat down on the edge and allowed her feet to dangle over the water. It was starting to get dark, however this evening the sky was swamped with clouds and the air felt heavy, a storm was approaching. In fact, it already started to drizzle.

"Everything okay?" Damon's soft voice echoed from behind her. She flinched a little, amid the chaos she didn't even hear him follow her outside. Why was it that even when she was so damn angry at him, his voice still seemed to have a soothing effect on her.

"Everything is just perfect. You can go now." He stood still behind her, hands shoved into his pockets and his gaze fixed on her back. She refused to look in his direction.

"Sounds reassuring." He replied sarcastically.

"Do you want something from me or are you just standing there to annoy me." She mumbled under her breath. The frustration pent up in her once again, with him being there and acting all so sweet and innocent.

"Okay, if you prefer I'll sit down and annoy you instead." He did just that, sitting down on the deck right next to her. His hands were comfortably resting on the deck on either side of his body, as he looked at her from the side. Fuck, she looked stunning in the moonlight. He cleared his throat. "So, are you going to tell me what's gotten into you."

"I don't know, how about we discuss when you were going to tell me that you slept with Bonnie?" She finally blurted out.

This time Elena turned to look at him directly, searching for a reaction on his face. There was a strong trace of confusion and an element of surprise. He clearly didn't expect her to know. To some extent that was all the confirmation she needed.

"Elena, I know what it looks like but trust me when I tell you that it's far from what it seems." He said firmly, but his voice was full of concern.

"So, did you or did you not have sex with her Damon, it's very simple."

He sighed heavily. "I did. But honestly, I had no idea that it was Bonnie. It was 7 years ago Elena and I was hammered." He watched her as she shook her head in disbelief and stood up from the deck, attempting to walk away. He quickly got up to his feet and grabbed her hand.

"Woah, wait up. You can't leave like this, I want to explain everything."

"Explain what, Damon?" She remarked angrily. "How both of you failed to tell me something so significant and acted like nothing ever happened or how you're also seeing some blonde bimbos behind my back? Where do you want to start?" She finally snapped, letting out everything that was clustered up in her mind.

His brows furrowed in confusion. "What blonde bimbos? I have no idea what you are talking about Elena, I'm not seeing anyone."

"Quit the bullshit. I saw the photo of a half-naked blonde bimbo on your phone, she messaged it to you when you were playing pool with the guys. And no, I wasn't lurking through your phone, I just happened to see it when the screen went off."

The realization of what she was talking about finally washed over him. Andie was texting him all evening, he never bothered to reply so she sent him a photo of herself in lingerie - most likely trying to entice him. It didn't have any effect on him, he deleted it as soon as he saw it but clearly not before Elena had managed to get a sneak peek. He has been ignoring Andie ever since the breakup, the only time he had acknowledged her presence was at work - when he had to.

"That was my ex, she is insane and doesn't understand that I don't want to get back together. So, she sends me stupid shit like this, but I didn't reply to any of her messages." He said truthfully. "I couldn't care less about her or any other woman."

His hand was still wrapped around hers, as he felt her pulling away. "So why bother with all these dates, phone calls and this stupid lake house trip, if you don't care? I told you that I don't want you to be a one nightstand, so was this some sort of challenge for you to try and change my mind?" She pressed with the questions as the disappointment raged within her.

He looked straight into her eyes and continued firmly. "Okay, I phrased myself wrongly: The only woman I'm interested in, is you. Why do I bother? Because you're all that I can think about ever since I met you, Elena."

She dropped her gaze to her feet, as she folded her arms over her chest in a protective manner. It would be a big lie to say that she hadn't been dying to hear those words straight from his lips, but she wished the circumstances would have been much different.

"So why all the lies, why couldn't you be honest with me from the start, Damon."

"There are no lies, it's just a massive misunderstanding. When Enzo introduced me to Bonnie, I honestly had no recollection of ever meeting her before. I just found out tonight when she sprung it on me out of nowhere." He nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "I was hammered, single and looking for fun. I didn't even ask for her name, and maybe that makes me a prick but that's the truth." He let out a breath that he didn't even realize he was holding in.

Her eyes finally found his for the first time, as she spoke softly. "You really didn't know?"

He placed both hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently and effectively pulling her closer to him.

"No, I swear I would have told you otherwise." His voice was somewhat calmer now that he got everything off his chest. He gently bit his lip, before he continued speaking.

"Look, I don't know what this thing between us is, I'm not even sure if you feel things the way I do. But trust me when I tell you that there's something about you that constantly makes me want more. And I'm not going to throw that away easily, Elena."

No words could describe what she was feeling in this very moment. Whilst the anger at him has somewhat faded and turned into self-anger, for not giving him a chance to explain in the first place, the words that he had just said were exactly what she need to hear. It wasn't a declaration of love nor was it a promise of a long and happy future together. But it was a drop of clarity in a deep sea of uncertainty, a signal that they were both on the same page - perhaps still lost, but not so alone anymore.

Instead of searching for meaningless words, she responded in a way that she knew best. Setting all doubts aside, she climbed on her tiptoes and firmly pressed her warm lips to his. There was nothing hot and eager about the kiss, instead it was sweet and reassuring. It took a second for Damon to respond, the initial shock of her soft rosy lips on his left him paralyzed. Without breaking their connection, he gently cupped her face and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Her lips instantly parted, inviting him. It was soft and gentle, but full of need for one another.

"I'm sorry I overreacted." She whispered breathless once they finally managed to pull away from each other. Their foreheads were now resting against each other, as Damon's hands settled on her waist and held her close to him.

"If this is your way of apologizing, I honestly don't mind." He chuckled softly, leaving a peck on the tip of her nose. "Although I wouldn't want you apologizing to other people like this, so save it for me."

"I guess I can do that." She laughed in response. He dipped his head and pulled her into a fierce kiss. This time there was no uncertainty in the way their lips moved against one another. They quickly began to feel the rain droplets becoming heavier against their skin, the storm was well on its way.

"We better get going." He pulled away reluctantly and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her t-shirt was already soaking through and the material was sticking to her body, enhancing her cleavage. If this wasn't a sight, he didn't know what was.

She nodded in response. She felt his fingers intertwining with hers and a smiled crept up on her face in response to the gesture, as they began walking back to the house.

"Where are your shoes?" He noticed her bare feet when they started walking. Her toenails were painted a baby pink colour, which brought out her tanned complexion.

"In my room, I wasn't wearing any when I left the house."

The deck was becoming slippery as the rain was getting heavier and whilst the house was only 3 minutes away, he didn't want her to slip and hurt herself. He quickly let go of her hand and swiftly picked her up bridal style, much to Elena's surprise.

"Damon! What are you doing!" She squealed in his arms giggling.

"We wouldn't those pretty feet of yours to get hurt now, would we." He replied casually, as he began carrying her back to the house. She was light as a feather. "Now just put your arms around my neck and hold on tight babe."

She smiled widely and did as she was told, snaking her arms around his neck and hiding her face in its crook. The cold tip of her nose met with the warmth of his skin, as she indulged in the aromatic woody scent of his cologne. It was a unique mixture of sandalwood, cedar and citrus, but it synchronized so well with the natural scent of his skin that it set all her senses on fire.

He couldn't ignore how right it felt to hold her in his arms, with her petite body snugged up against his chest. There was honestly no place he'd rather be. She was the perfect fit for him and he didn't want to let go.

* * *

As they reached the lake house through the back entrance, a loud thunder echoed in the distance and lightning strikes flickered over the sky. A look of worry washed over Elena's face as she took in the sight. Damon carefully let go of her and she placed her feet back on the ground, instantly wrapping her arms around herself. She didn't particularly mind storms, she had gotten used to getting through them on her own since she'd been living alone. But she still found them unsettling.

She looked down at her herself, the partially wet clothes were uncomfortably stuck to every inch of her body and her hair was soaking at this point. Not the greatest look considering how immaculate Damon looked, given the circumstances. The black raven hair was somewhat disarranged, but she couldn't be oblivious to the way in which his muscles peeked through the wet material and how it drove her mind wild to imagine what else was hiding underneath them.

"Do you want to come in?" Damon asked, gesturing at his room. He didn't miss her reaction to the storm, and he wanted to do anything to protect her from her fears.

Elena nodded, appreciating the initiative. She stood closely behind him, as he opened the door and let her in first. It was almost pitch dark inside, the uncovered window was the only source of faint light beaming through. It must have been around 11 at night, the house was quiet which allowed them to think that everyone else was already asleep.

"Do you mind if I use your shower, I'm kind of soaked."

Damon chuckled at her awkwardness, although he couldn't see it he was sure that she was blushing. "Of course, go ahead. There's a clean towel in the bathroom."

She bit her lip, as she looked around his room. "Ehm, I don't really have any clothes to change into. Would you mind getting me some from my room whilst I'm in the shower?"

"Or I could give you one of my t-shirts and a pair of new boxer briefs? They'll probably swallow you whole, but they'll be pretty comfortable."

"Okay, that sounds good." She gave him a fleeting warm smile, which he returned before walking away to get her the stuff.

* * *

Elena stood relaxed under the hot stream of water. The goose bumps on her body had slowly began to fade, as she began to warm up a little. Whilst her muscles were finally beginning to relax and letting go of the stress, the same couldn't be said about her mind, which was clustered with a thousand of thoughts. Here she was standing in Damon's current bathroom, with him waiting for her on the other side of the door. How did a terrible evening turn into something so good within a matter of hours? They had finally kissed, and she couldn't stop thinking about how good he tasted on her lips, and how safe she felt when he held her in his arms. It's like she was being pulled in two different directions: one that was the safe route of taking things at a regular pace, keeping her distance, not getting her hopes up. Yet now that she had a taste of Damon Salvatore and he was quite literally within the reach of a hand, it was impossible to back away. He was like a drug – it got you addicted from the very first time.

The doors to the bathroom opened and Elena stepped out looking fresh and much more comfortable. Damon was sitting on the edge of the bed; his eyes instantly took in the sight in front of him. What was now his favourite black t-shirt, reached the mid of Elena's toned thighs and its sleeves reached the top of her elbows. She clearly must have folded the top of the boxers and pulled them up, as they didn't peek through the shirt. He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from releasing a groan, she was easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was so innocent, so pure and yet here she was with him, a serial womanizer who was seriously considering pursuing this one woman for the rest of his life.

"Two minutes and I'll be right back, okay?" Damon cleared his throat, as headed in to have a shower himself.

Elena made herself comfortable on his bed, it was more than big enough to fit two people. She chose the right side which was further from the window, as peeking through the curtains she noticed that the storm was now in full force. Before she had a chance to do anything else, Damon was already back from his shower, wearing nothing but a pair of fleece joggers which sat very low on his hips.

She saw the corner of his lips lift in a smile, as he approached her. "Picked your side?"

"Yep, far away from the craziness going on outside." Elena remarked cheekily.

She watched him walk over to the other side of the bed, pulling up the covers and settling in. He gently padded the pillow next to him. "Come here." His voice was soft and reassuring, like he was trying not to scare her away.

Elena moved up closer to him, scooping under the duvet. She placed her head on the pillow and turned on her side, to face the door. His arm was snaked around her waist, and she happily snuggled up closer to him, leaving all boundaries behind. The warmth of his body engulfed her tiny frame and she instantly relaxed, her eyes closing and her breath settling. She felt a gentle kiss on her temple, as he whispered a soft goodnight and they both drifted away, happily in each other's arms. Ready, for whatever the next days would bring.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **A/N: Hey guys! I am so so sorry for such a delay in posting, it's been way too long. I've had a bit of a writer's block, life got in the way and everything was hectic for a while. That really impacted my ability to write so that's the reason for the delay. I'll try to get back to one chapter per week. I am so thankful for the amazing reviews for the last chapter, they are so sweet and mean so so much to me. Thank you for your continued support. I hope you enjoy this one, I tried as best I could to put out something of good quality - although it's not exactly how I planned it would turn out. Have a lovely weekend x**

Elena lazily opened her eyes and they instantly began to wander around the room, as she took in her surroundings. The curtains were drawn which blocked sunlight from peeking into the room - but the clock on the wall opposite showed that it was almost 6 in the morning. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head - it was too early to be awake. Her mind instantly drifted to the previous night and the reason for her sleeping in Damon's bed -

 _Fuck._ She quickly peeked out of the covers and located the body sleeping next to her. Damon looked as peaceful as ever - there was no trace of arrogance and no smirk on his face, his beautiful blue eyes were now tightly shut, and his face was simply motionless. It was the first time she saw him with his guard down, so calm and dare she think sweet. A strand of hair was carelessly hanging over his forehead and it took all the restraint she had not push it behind his ear, and gently caress his face. That man was drop dead gorgeous at every hour of the day and he didn't even need to try, talk about how life is fair.

Getting out of bed and facing the day was not a priority for Elena now, so she sunk back into the bed and sighed heavily. Last night was a disaster, but it was also undeniably amazing. The guilt crept in as she battled with her thoughts; Was it selfish of her to be happy that things between her and Damon were moving forward, that the air between had been cleaned? Bonnie must have had a massive argument with Enzo - who like Elena, had no idea about anything.

It was a hard pill to swallow, the one rule the three of them strictly lived by was this: the secret to a great friendship is to have the same taste in wine but different taste in men. They never went after the others ex's or guys they had a thing for, it only seemed fair. So, naturally it stung her that Damon had something with Bonnie - no matter how insignificant it was.

"Morning." Damon muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"I thought you were asleep." Elena turned to lay on her side and face him.

"I was. You woke me up, I could hear your thoughts running wild in my sleep."

He chuckled softly, also turning to face her. He certainly wasn't wrong thinking that waking up to such a beautiful face would instantly rule the day a good one. He found himself enjoying the feel of her soft skin against his during the night, although sleeping with a woman in the purest way never enticed him, this night felt different.

"I literally just woke up."

"Elena."

"Well there's a lot to think about, Damon." She rolled her eyes, sighing. He knew her all too well for someone who has been in her life for less than a month.

"Stop right there. You need to stop worrying about everything, you can't solve other people's problems. Bonnie and Enzo will be fine, he just needs time to cool off."

"Maybe you're right." She released a heavy sigh, agreeing unwillingly. "This was supposed to be nice and relaxing getaway, so far it's a disaster."

He gently stroked the side of her face, finally breaking off the unwanted distance between them. Her cheeks were rosy and felt warm under his touch, like her body instantly burned up at his merest touch. Every part of her was soft and delicate, begging to be cherished and loved. He could see how effortless it would be to love this woman right in front of him.

"It can't be that bad if you're waking up next to a guy a like me."

The wide grin on his face instantly washed away the tension from her body, as she laughed and shook her head in disbelief of how cocky he was.

She admired his ability to make her laugh in such stressful moments when her mind was playing tricks on her. She never shared her problems with anyone else, she was always taught to deal with them by herself. This led to difficult situations, she would panic and overthink - coming up with scenarios never had a chance of happening, yet they still seemed probable.

"I guess it could be worse."

She smiled back at him and relaxed back into the huge fluffy pillow, taking in a deep breath and then slowly releasing it. Maybe this was a start of something new, something better.

* * *

What started as a perfectly blissful early morning unfortunately couldn't last forever. They say that we learn something new every day, and Elena learned that waking up next to Damon had its perks and it wasn't all down to pleasing a woman sexually. Surprisingly enough he had the gift of making her forget all her worries and work her way past them. She sneaked out, almost shamelessly, trying to get into her bedroom before everyone else woke up.

"Elena?"

Her head turned at the sound of Bonnie's voice, to see her standing at the end of the hallway. She looked rough, like she hadn't slept all night. Her face was smeared with makeup and her eyes were puffy from crying. It broke Elena's heart to see her best friend in a state like this.

"Hi."

Elena stood awkwardly by the door, not knowing whether she should talk to her, shout at her or ignore her. The anger was still there, but the annoying voice in her head screamed at her to let it go and be there for Bonnie.

"So. are you okay?" Elena asked nervously, knowing the answer to her question.

"He left. Enzo left last night, and I don't know if he'll ever be able to forgive me." Bonnie released a shuddering breath. The tears pent up in her eyes again and her voice was shaky.

She pulled her into a tight hug and rubbed her back in comfort, as Bonnie sobbed into her shoulder. She quickly dismissed the previously felt anger, knowing very well how hard it is to lose someone you love dearly. It wasn't definite, it couldn't be - Enzo was angry and he was hurt, a fresh wound hurts the most.

"Honey, he just needs time to process this. You lied to him for a very long time and that clearly hurt him, but he loves you so much."

"He was so angry Lena, I've never seen him like this. I don't think he has it in him to forgive me. And I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you, I should have, I know that now."

"Bonnie, I'm not mad at you. You should have told me, but I get it, it's okay." Elena pulled back and looked at Bonnie, giving her the warmest and most comforting smile, she could.

"Come on, we don't want the rest of the guys to see you like this. We can do all the crying and eat ice cream later, but now let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

 ** _1 week later_**

 _Salvatore Inc._ A huge building located in Downtown Manhattan, wrapped in a cold wash of blue glass. It had over five floors and an army of employees in every corner. The receptionists sat behind their black marble desks and typed away on their Macs, all impeccably dressed, genuine smiles painted on their faces. Elena's stiletto heels thumped against the marble floor as she made her way to the elevator, where she was directed to by the front desk and kindly informed that the boss' office was on the 3rd floor.

The elevator door closing had her heart racing, as she nervously tapped her fingernails against her purse. She was nervous, after all she was in Damon's office and he was most definitely not expecting her to show up. Would it seem too desperate, like she was throwing herself at him? They did just see each other a few nights ago, and they talked on the phone almost every night ever since they came back from the lake house.

Events of the last few days have been followed by a chain of questions that she had yet to find answers for, but she was becoming more and more convinced that they were close to perfection. The early mornings, the late nights, the stolen kisses and secret glances. Waking up to his strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her body against his warm chest and his beautiful face hidden in the crook of her neck. It felt like everything she ever wanted was in the vicinity of this man's bed.

A loud ringing noise alerted her that the elevator has reached her desired floor. Elena let out a deep breath and stepped out in a confident manner. She walked up to the front desk and looked up to see a blonde woman looking her up and down. To Elena's unpleasant surprise it was the same woman that had sent Damon those photos, and this memory instantly changed her demeanour.

To know that women were literally serving themselves on a silver platter for Damon was one thing, but to know that the woman who was obsessed with him also worked as his personal assistant, was a totally different thing. How low did you have to sink to send almost nude photos of yourself to your boss, that was something unimaginable to Elena - mostly on a professional level, but also because it honestly bothered her that Damon saw this woman every day at work.

"I'm here to see Mr Salvatore." Elena sent her a fake forced smile.

"Do you have a scheduled meeting with him?" She raised her brows in return, not hiding her dislike of Elena.

"No, but if you give him my name I'm sure that he'll be happy to see me. It's Elena Gilbert."

The blonde shook her head and answered with arrogance. "Well excuse me, but Mr Salvatore isn't just sitting around and waiting for random woman to show up and-

"Elena, come on in." They both turned their heads to see Damon standing in the doorway of his office. The crisp black suit with a contrasting white shirt and sleek black tie made him look irresistible and it had both women lose their breath for a second. The thought of what was hiding underneath those clothes had Elena biting her lip and wishing they were back in his apartment. _How did he always manage to look like a dream?_

He gestured at Elena to come in, and so she did as he held the door open with one hand.

"Andie, don't put any calls through." He looked over at his secretary, clearly angry with her. "Also, I want to see you in my office after I'm done." His tone was cold and unpleasant.

She simply nodded and turned her gaze back to the screen with a heavy sigh. The thought of Damon being involved with another woman boiled her blood, especially when it was being done right under her nose.

"So is that..."

She didn't know what to call her: the ex-girlfriend, the psycho, the slut? All those words fit the glove, but none seemed appropriate. She didn't want to come across as jealous, was she even allowed to be jealous? They hadn't exactly put a label on whatever was going on between them.

"Yeah, I need to figure out how to deal with her." Damon sighed as he ruffled his hair with one hand.

She simply nodded. It wasn't the time nor the place for this conversation, she didn't come all this way to fight with him. It was the last thing on her mind right now, so the blonde bimbo discussion would have to be postponed.

"I'm sorry about the way she treated you, I promise it won't happen again."

The fatigue was evident on his pale face, the dark circles under his eyes begged for her to kiss them away. And she really wished she could just kiss all his worries away and wave them goodbye. He had been overworking himself, pushing to do as much work during the day, so that he could spend the evenings with her, even if it meant speaking on the phone. The urge to see her or even talk to her was stronger than ever.

"Mm, are you planning on having me here again sometime soon?" She smiled provocatively.

He slowly began to approach her, effectively backing her onto his desk. His hands travelled from her small waist to her hips, as he helped to comfortably situate her ass on the desk. She automatically parted her thighs allowing him to slide in between them, closing off the distance between their bodies.

"If we're being totally honest, I wouldn't mind seeing you here every day." He flashed her a soft smile, his eyes sparkling with intensity as he stared into hers. His thumbs began to trace lazy circles on the sides of her thighs.

Elena didn't dare to move, she found herself awestruck. The touch of his hands sent a warm wave through her entire body, and it felt so right for him to touch her like this. She kept her eyes on his, as she innocently bit into her full bottom lip.

"I guess I can see what could be done about that." She said in a hoarse voice.

Without any hesitation, her small hand crept up his chest and grabbed a hold of his tie, assertively pulling his face down to hers. She instantly crushed her longing lips onto his, the passion finally exploding. Her hands snaked around the back of his neck, as he eagerly opened his mouth and invited her tongue in. The kiss began slowly as one mouth explored the other, with each stroke and bite of the lip the hunger for one another grew stronger.

His hands skimmed down her body and cupped her bottom, so that his erection was now pressed against her core. Their mouths were tangled in a series of hot kisses, as he slowly began to move his lips down her jaw and eventually settled on her neck, where he knew she had a sweet spot. The way his lips latched onto her neck elicited a small moan from Elena, as she snuck her hands under his shirt feeding the urge to feel his skin. She was drowning in desire for his lips on every inch of her body, as she felt his manhood growing and pushing at her core. She wanted nothing more than to grind against it in ache for some release.

"Damon..." She muttered breathlessly.

"Hm?" He rasped in between the kisses

She gently cupped his face, pulling it away from her neck. His eyes were darkened with lust, and she instantly forgot what she wanted to say to him. So, she pulled him in for a passionate kiss, as his hand now moved dangerously close to the area where she craved his touch the most. The dress that she was wearing allowed his hands to freely explore her bare thighs, as he delicately traced every inch of her skin.

Damon released soft growl at the feel of her damp lace underwear against his fingers. "Fuck, Elena, we have to stop now, or I will take you right here on this desk." He whispered huskily into her ear. He was still somewhat aware of their surroundings and the fact that anyone could walk in at any moment.

Elena managed to nod her head amidst the haze, her mind felt blurry and all she could think about was his lips on hers. She placed her hands on his heaving chest, looked up at him and giggled.

"You're probably right."

She loved the way his hair looks so thoroughly ravished, his shirt was hanging out of his pants and his tie somehow found its way to the floor. The best feeling was knowing that all of this was her doing. Never did she think that she'd be the possessive type.

"I better get going, I was only supposed to be out for half an hour." She rolled her eyes, sliding off his desk. She started pulling down on her dress to make herself look presentable again.

"Already? You just came. I thought we could grab some lunch together." He groaned at the thought of her leaving so soon. If he could have his way he would take her straight back to his apartment and never let her leave his bed.

"I'd really love to, but I can't. I have to go to a meeting with Elijah."

"Right, because he can't do anything without you by his side."

"Since when are you so bothered by him?" Elena arched her brows in curiosity.

"Since he's been hogging you like he has exclusive rights to you." He exclaimed like the reason was blatantly obvious.

"Well It's not like I give him updates on my dating life." She shrugged her shoulders and began arranging her hair into place.

"Maybe you should."

She stopped what she was doing and turned to face Damon. She eyed him up carefully, searching for a smirk on his face or waiting for him to start laughing. This was unexpected coming from the guy who'd never been in a proper relationship. Truthfully, it made her nervous for many reasons, for instance she didn't even know how ready she was for a step in this direction.

"What do you mean?"

Damon looked puzzled. He blurted it out without giving it much thought, but at the same time it really did bother him that no one knew about 'them'. Weirdly enough he found himself wanting to be known as Elena's partner, man, boyfriend - anything attached to Elena would be sufficient.

The look on her face did not encourage him to speak his mind, but to hell with it, he thought. They only met a few weeks ago, shared a few passionate kisses, shared a bed and she could easily be treated as a stranger. But Elena was so much more, and if there was a chance of moving things forward - he'd try his hardest.

"Maybe you should tell him that you're seeing me." He cleared his throat, trying to sound casual.

She took a deep breath before speaking up.

"I don't know if that's a good idea Damon, we don't even know what _this_ is." She bit her lip nervously.

Well, she wasn't wrong. Damon had no clue what this was, he had never acted so fast on his feelings - maybe because they didn't appear all that often.

"Okay, maybe you're right." He nodded before continuing. "But we know that there's something between us, and we're exclusive, right?" The uncertainty was evident in his voice.

"Well I guess we are, unless you have..."

"I haven't." He quickly added, cutting her imagination short.

Elena couldn't help but be a little proud of the fact that Damon Salvatore was seriously considering monogamy for her sake. Proud, but also seriously shocked - were things moving too fast, was this the right choice to make? She sent him a small smile and walked up to find herself right next to him.

"Okay, I'll let him know." She settled one hand on his cheek and gently stroked the side of his face, feeling the smoothly shaved skin under her fingertips.

He released a short breath; the tension finally left his body. He gently curled his right hand around the back of her neck and pulled her into a soft kiss.

* * *

Andie apart from being a secretary, was also Damon's personal assistant and whilst she was good at fulfilling her duties, she was a nightmare of an ex-girlfriend. Especially when Damon failed to give her the time of the day. The blonde stormed into Damon's office, wearing a tight red bodycon dress and black pumps which accentuated her long lean legs. No doubt the outfit was picked out for Damon's benefit.

Damon arched his eyebrows in confusion, irritated by her ghastly entrance. "Do you need something from me?" He said as he lifted his eyes from the paperwork.

"You've been ignoring me all day, again." She exclaimed bluntly, resting one hand on her hip.

"That's interesting, seeing as you're my employee and have been doing tasks for me all day."

"Don't treat me like an idiot. I'm not talking about work, Damon. Have you not thought about us at all?" She pulled out the chair on the opposite side of his desk and sat down in it.

Her hand hovered over his to touch him, but he quickly removed it.

"There's no us Andie, how many times do you need to hear it to finally believe it? You're my employee and I'm your boss, that's it." He gritted through his teeth.

"Oh, I see how it is now I'm just your stupid useless secretary. I can't believe you're throwing away our relationship just like that." She brooded, tears welling up in her eyes.

He had his doubts when it came to breaking up with her, but the more he thought about it the more convinced he was that it was a simple move of desperation in the first place. He never loved Andie and couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life with her. He caught her gawking from the first day at work, then the skirts would get shorter and the tops would get tighter, the buttons would loosen up. Then there was a work party, one drink led to another and the next morning he woke up with Andie beside him.

It was a comfortable agreement. There was chemistry and heat in the bedroom, they got along, and managed to have decent conversations, he knew that he could trust her. Andie was devoted and craved a deep, true love - something that she found with Damon and somewhere along the way he believed that he could continue to give that to her. But after a while he realised that there wasn't much in it for him, apart from the sex - there were no feelings of love and it made no sense to hope that one day they would magically resurface.

He groaned as he shut his laptop and rested his elbows on top of it. He looked straight at her with a stern look on his face. She looked so fragile and upset, and he really didn't want to be the cause of that - but she had it coming, and he couldn't just leave it like this.

"I'm done explaining this over and over again. I don't have any feelings for you, I don't want a relationship with you and you need to accept that. Or we'll have to go our separate ways career wise as well."

"You can't fire me. And this is not over, Damon. I'm not giving up on us."

There was no expression on her face, she sounded dead serious and emotionless. She stood up, turned on her heel and left.

"She really fucking is insane." Damon shook his head in disbelief, leaning back in his chair.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **A/N: Hey guys, thank you so much for all your lovely reviews/favs/follows! It really motivates me to write knowing that you're enjoying the story! Sorry for the slight delay, I tried uploading last night but the site was down and I couldn't. Hope you enjoy this one. Have an amazing week! xx**

Bonnie gulped down the last shot, exhaling loudly and slamming it down on the table. The girls headed out to the city and settled for their favourite bar in Soho - a place they used to visit to indulge in overpriced but delicious cocktails. This night was no different.

"So, you're not jealous?" Elena asked unsure.

"No, of course not! I just assumed that Damon would use you and leave you all heartbroken. I shouldn't have thought that, I guess there is a possibility that he changed." Bonnie remarked honestly.

"And now what?"

"I'm not his biggest fan, but if you trust him then so do I." She gave her a warm smile, it felt good to have the weight off her shoulders and to let the anger go. "Maybe love really does change people."

Elena shook her head in disagreement." What love? Sure, we have great chemistry, but this can't go much further than that. I'm not relationship material."

Caroline stopped sipping her drink and turned to look at Elena, not believing what she just heard. "Elena, what are you talking about? You've been waiting for this great epic love and now you're just throwing the possibility of it away?"

"Exactly, epic love Care. Not the sex on legs Damon Salvatore. I'm pretty sure that he's not my prince charming."

"You have a connection, not just the urge to fuck each other. So, where's all this coming from... Is this when you freak out because things are potentially getting serious?" Caroline asked defiantly, crossing her arms and keenly observing.

Elena shifted uneasily in her seat as she focused on the question, not for Caroline's sake but her own. Maybe that's what it was. To some extent she was terrified of pursuing another relationship, having someone so invested in her only acted as a reminder of how she ruined the previous relationship. The moment things got serious she panicked and ran, leaving behind a messy trail of mistakes.

"He may have mentioned something about telling Elijah about us." Elena muttered in response.

"And that freaked you out because?"

"Because things are moving too fast. it's like when we're together the world stops spinning and he's all that I can think about. I get these stupid little butterflies in my tummy and all my inhibitions suddenly disappear. I'm this completely different person around him. And what if I mess everything up again, what if I suddenly change my mind and leave him behind? He doesn't deserve that." She blurted out with a deep sigh at the end of her monologue.

Caroline shrugged her shoulders and smiled lightly. "You'll never have the certainty Elena, no one does. But trust me, it's so worth taking the risk. Like I can't imagine making my morning coffee without hearing Klaus' terrible singing in the shower - and that's what you call true love." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah! Once you fall in love you'll finally understand why it never worked out with anyone else." Bonnie added confidently. "I mean look at me, I was so hang up on Jeremy and couldn't imagine being with anyone else. Yet here I am in the happiest relationship of my life."

She raises her brows. "My dick of a brother cheated on you, so it doesn't count. Everyone is better off without the cheater."

"But I'm grateful that it happened. If it was meant to be he wouldn't have cheated on me. Because of that I met Enzo, and Jer now has a great wife and cute little Emma. So yeah, everything worked out just fine by itself."

"But this is different, Damon doesn't know what he is getting into. I doubt that his baggage is just as heavy as mine." She gave them the look that both understood, and suddenly the mood dropped.

"Everyone has a past. Maybe with the anniversary approaching that would be a good time to..." Bonnie offered sounding a little unsure, or perhaps trying not to cross the line.

"No." She answered sharply. "It would be the worst time. I don't know how Damon would react, we are nowhere near serious for him to know."

"At some point you'll have to be honest with him Lena."

Her gaze dropped to the empty glass in front of her, as she tightly wrapped her fingers around it. The unnecessary reminder of the anniversary approaching hindered over her like a dark cloud. This date was a permanent fixture in her memory, one that would never slip through the cracks, no matter how much time has passed. It always hurt the same, the grief and the sadness haunted her almost every step of the way. During the day it was easy to bury the guilt in the back of her mind, but the night wasn't so friendly - ignoring the what ifs was almost impossible.

"I'm going to need another drink." She abruptly stood up from her seat and walked off towards the bar, without sparing them a glance.

"I'll come with you." Caroline quickly followed, not wanting her to be alone. The more the merrier, right?

"Get me a sex on the beach Care." Bonnie requested loudly, with the bar getting even more busy someone had to stay and keep the booth from being claimed.

The blonde managed to catch up, which was a huge accomplishment bearing in mind that she was wearing her favourite five-inch Louboutin heels - and those were certainly not made for speed walking. She pulled down on the material of her black tube dress, which clung to her body like second skin, and pushed through the hurdle of people to get to Elena.

"If I didn't know you any better I would have thought that you're trying to get away from us." She glared at her, half serious - half joking.

"I'm sorry Care, I needed a minute. You know I don't like talking about it."

"I know. We won't bring it up again, let's just have a fun evening okay?" She gave her a comforting smile, before briefly stroking her shoulder. Elena nodded her head in agreement and smiled back, thankful for the change of the subject.

Caroline leaned over the counter and battered her eyelashes at the bartender, sending him a flirtatious smile. Her curly blonde hair and dreamy blue eyes usually managed to earn her a free drink or two, and this night was as good as any to overdo on the alcohol.

Elena casually rested her chin on one hand, letting Care work her magic. "Need I remind you that you're getting married in like two months?" She said playfully. In all the years she had known her, single or not, Caroline never shied away from attention. It was simply given that she liked to be adored by others, but what woman didn't?

"Nope. This is Klaus' favourite dress. I can't wait to see his face when I come back home. It will drive him insane and we're going to have a real nice time." She giggled and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Please, living with you two has scarred me for life. I don't need to hear any more about your sex life."

She blushed in return and retrieved their drinks from the bartender.

"Speaking of fun and sexy times, is that Mason?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Elena quickly turned her head away, hoping that he would walk straight past.

"Too late, he's already coming cover."

Unfortunately, Caroline wasn't mistaken, Mason approached them confidently with the signature smirk on his face. "Elena, Caroline. It's good to see you."

"Mason, hey." Elena faked a smile in his direction, feeling the awkwardness peak as he pulled her into a hug. His hands were dangerously close to her butt, so she pulled away as quickly as she could and put some distance between them.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen or heard from you in ages." He asked with furrowed brows, seeming rather curious.

"Working. I barely have time for anything else. How have you been?"

"Not bad. I have some new classes coming up next week, you should come. It will be fun." He winked at her.

Mason was a personal trainer at her gym - which is how they initially met. She undertook a kickboxing class and it just so happened that Mason was leading it. He certainly had all the women gawking after him - the sun kissed complexion, dark blue eyes and blonde hair was a great overall package.

Soon enough they became close with friends with benefits. He was fun to hang out with and didn't expect anything from Elena: no commitments, no promises, no pressure. They didn't get involved in the other's personal life and their past, it was all about the current moment and having fun.

Now looking at him she felt guilty, she was dodging his calls and started attending different classes just to eliminate the risk of running into him. She could see the fire in his eyes as he eyed her up and down, and for some reason she felt like she was unfaithful to Damon. She shouldn't, they weren't in a relationship, but just looking at Mason reminded her of who he was not.

His eyes were the wrong shade of blue, his lips were nowhere near as soft and plump, his jaw did not have that sharp edge to it. Everything about him was off, simply because he wasn't Damon. The poor guy wasn't to blame, in comparison with Damon any guy seemed mediocre. So much for not falling for him.

"'That's great, I'll see if I can fit one in." She offered him a smile, whilst hoping that she doesn't seem to off. "it's kind of a girl's night so I have to get going. But ehm, I guess I'll see you around?"

He looked over to see Bonnie sitting in the coroner of the last booth, curious as to who the other 'girls' were.

"Sure, no problem. Don't be a stranger though." He winked at her suggestively, to which she nervously laughed and walked back to their booth.

As soon as she reached the booth and took a seat in the far corner, she noticed both Caroline and Bonnie giving her 'the' look.

"What?"

"Was that Mason the fuck buddy?" Bonnie questioned eagerly.

Caroline rolled her eyes at Bonnie's lack of knowledge on the subject. "Yes, that one! The more important thing is why haven't you finished this whole arrangement with him? Are you sleeping with them both?"

Elena's eyes widened in shock, sometimes Caroline was incorrigible. "I haven't slept with Damon!"

"Really?" The girls asked simultaneously, both arched their brows in curiosity.

"Oh my god, of course not! And I don't need to say anything to Mason, he was just a fling." She shrugged her shoulders, dreading the thought of bringing this up with him. He should get the message, how many times do you have to ignore the guy for him to see that you're clearly not interested.

"You better hope that he doesn't booty call you when you're with Damon." Bonnie and Caroline burst out laughing, imagining how ridiculous that would be. Elena glared at them both, honestly wishing that looks could kill.

She groaned loudly. "Fine I'll talk to him, happy?"

She felt her phone buzz in her purse. She pulled it out without a hustle, as the small size of the purse narrowed down its contents to just her phone, a lipstick and some cash. Was this coincidence or a sign from above? Her mood instantly improved as she saw Damon's name light up on the screen.

 _ **Are you free tomorrow night?**_

Her lips instantly turned upwards into a smile, as she felt the usual excitement that she only experienced around Damon.

 _ **Maybe. What do you have in mind?**_

 _ **I'm not willing to share if you're not willing to come.**_

She glanced up to check if the girls were looking at her, but they seemed to be lost in a conversation of their own, so she began typing away.

 _ **I guess I can take one for the team. Sure, I'm free :)**_

 _ **Now was that so difficult ;) Be ready by 7. I'll pick you up.**_

 _ **Don't make me regret it.**_

 _ **I assure you it will be time well spent...**_

She put her phone away, deciding not to reply to the last message. Being clingy or needy was not her thing, it was always a good idea to keep them wanting more. The worry for now was what she would wear to this mysterious date. It had to be something that would make his jaw drop.

* * *

10pm. He could swear it was lunchtime like 5 minutes ago. He shut his laptop and tiredly rubbed his eyes, resting his elbows on the desk. Days at the office were hectic to say the least and being in charge drove him insane at times - because the greatest responsibility fell on him, and he couldn't afford making a mistake. He leaned back in his black leather chair and removed his tie, tossing it somewhere to the side.

He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out his phone, scanning the screen for a reply from Elena. Recently he had realised that every day that went by without seeing her was simply not capable of being a good day. In fact, this week neither of them had the time to spare, so he was very much on an Elena detox - which he certainly found himself frowning upon. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was that made him so infatuated with her - but he sure as hell couldn't keep away from her. Sure, enough being a tease and knowing just how to make him crave more worked just as well as she had intended.

Instead he found a few missed calls from his mom and a text asking him to call her. It seemed like forever since he'd last seen her and he wasn't proud of himself for that, knowing how she would worry about him and Stefan.

"Damon honey! Where have you been?" Lily's voice beamed through the speaker, she sounded happy but also somewhat relieved.

"Just finished work, it's been a bit busy."

"You are overworking yourself, how many times do I need to have this conversation with you? And your father, and Stefan. It's like the three of you don't know how to slow down."

"Are you saying that Steffie's gotten on your bad side?" He chuckled at the thought of his saint brother getting into trouble. Thinking about it, he hadn't spoken to him in a while either.

"You, young man are currently on my bad side. You don't call, you don't visit, you don't take care of yourself. Do you want me to continue?"

"I know, I know - I'm sorry. I'll make it up, I'll come by sometime for dinner. Okay?"

"Alone? Or with that Andie girl?"

Damon snickered. "Alone mom. Does that sound good?" He knew his parents weren't very fond of Andie and he couldn't blame them - she didn't make a great impression the first time she met them, which was when they walked in on them getting hot and heavy in his kitchen.

"Honey, I wasn't a big fan of hers but at least there was some hope that you'd find the will to finally settle down." She sighed disappointed.

"Yeah, definitely not with her. You can hassle Stefan about this one."

"Well one of you is going to have to give in sooner or later, I'd very much like to have a grandchild before I hit sixty."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't count on me for this one. Mom, I've got to go home and crush down, it's been a long day."

"Okay, please drive carefully. Have a good night, I love you."

"Love you too, mom."

Damon collected his belongings and draped his jacket over his shoulder, switching off the lights in his office. It was vacant already, seeing as everybody finished work a few hours earlier, and suddenly it became clear to him that it no longer surprised him to see the place empty. When was the last time he'd gone back to his apartment at a normal time? He couldn't even remember the last time he had a proper hangover or a random girl in his bed. Well the last one didn't really surprise him - every time a girl would hit on him all he would do is look at her and compare her to Elena. It was a no brainer as to who came off more enticing.

Hence why he'd finally asked her out on another date. Things between them were moving at a very constant speed and he had a strong urge to speed them up. He didn't normally try so hard for a girl, he didn't walk on his tiptoes around her and didn't keep the distance just in case - she was either in it for the sex or she wasn't in the picture. With Elena things were very different and she didn't need to ask for them to be that way. They could have easily engaged in sex with no strings attached - but neither of them wanted to rush at first, it felt like there was something more to them than just the physical attraction.

The more he'd gotten to know her, the more of a pull he felt towards that woman. She was the strongest woman he'd ever met - independent, charismatic and passionate. She didn't need his guidance or constant attention, she had morals and she lived by them. He dared to think that he finally met someone who had a bold character, just like him. And that tipped him over the edge and he fell into a trap, because no matter where he chose to go and what he chose to do - all he could see was Elena right there beside him.

He planned everything out for the next day - up until now they've been meeting up in his office or catching snippets of intimate moments in places that really didn't allow for much privacy. Now he was eager to have her step into his world, which is why he intended to have her over in his apartment - where no woman has ever been before. Not even Andie, she usually invited him over or they stayed at a hotel, after all their 'dates' really didn't involve much talking.

As he pulled out of the garage his phone started buzzing with Enzo's name flashing across the screen, he took a second to answer it before he put it on speaker. Luckily it didn't take Enzo too long to come around and let go of the fact that Bonnie and Damon had a thing a few years back - although he wasn't as mad with Damon as he had been with Bonnie for keeping it a secret.

"Hey, what's up."

"Damon, there's a damsel in distress that needs you over here." Enzo chuckled.

He quirked his brows in confusion. "What damsel in distress?"

"Elena. Apparently our three lovely ladies got a bit tipsy somewhere down in Soho, and they need some taking care of."

"She asked for me?"

"Why else would I be calling you, you idiot. So, are you coming down or what?"

"Yeah I'll be there. Text me the address."

He didn't even care why she had asked for him, but the fact that she did spoke volumes. Any other guy would drop everything and run to her rescue without her having to move as much as a finger. To know that he was the guy she wanted even when drunk, really stirred something inside of him. Surely enough he couldn't get rid of the smug smile on his face.

* * *

Damon strolled into the bar, funnily enough also one of his favourite bars in the city where the drinks served were of the highest quality. This place had a unique vibe to it - the dimmed lights, black walls and sleek wooden tables set it apart as dark, spirited and cosy. It was a place where the modern world collided with a place full of history. His attire didn't exactly fit the agenda, but a few undone buttons and rolled up sleeves saved the situation a little.

"Damon!" He heard a loud squeal behind him and within seconds he saw a bunch of blonde curls in his face. Caroline threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly.

"Aw, you came! Damn, you look handsome. Lena will be lucky if she gets some tonight." She giggled at her remark and covered her mouth, perhaps realising that she'd said too much.

"Alright Blondie, you don't look too bad yourself." He laughed noting the state that she is in, her bubbly personality did always amuse him. "Speaking of Elena, where is she? And where is Klaus?"

"Don't laugh at me Salvatore." She attempted to playfully hit him but missed by quite a bit and nearly stumbled over. He caught her arm just in time and pulled her down to sit on the stool next to them. "My baby is on his way and Elena, I don't know, maybe with that hot Mason guy." She shrugged her shoulders and pouted.

Well, he didn't like the sound of that. His eyes traced around the bar trying to locate Elena, but he couldn't see her anywhere and that worried him - he didn't know what a drunk Elena behaved like, but if she was anything like Caroline he could only imagine what trouble she could get herself into.

"Caroline, where did you last see her?"

"The ladies room... Hey can you get me another drink? I feel like a bloody Mary, you should try one too Damon!" She widened her eyes in excitement.

He sighed, understanding that he wouldn't get much information out of her. Right in that moment they were approached by Enzo with Bonnie closely linked to his arm, and Klaus following right behind them.

"Aw, my baby!" Caroline jumped off the stool and run straight in Klaus' arms, as he tightly wrapped his arms around her in return.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her man." He remarked thankfully.

"No problem, you take good care of her - she's a handful." Damon chuckled in return, seeing that she's clearly found her protector.

"You can get going, I still need to look for Elena."

"Wasn't she supposed to be with Caroline?" Enzo asked confused.

"They must have separated, Blondie has no clue where she went."

"According to you all I'm the drunk one, but I can see Elena very clearly." Bonnie slurred out, rolling her eyes at the guys. "Look, she's right there." She pointed her finger at one of the booths in the corner.

He sighed with a relief. "I'll take care of her. Get the girls home, I'll see you around." He gestured at both Klaus and Enzo, before walking off.

* * *

Elena was stood leaning against the wall, most likely searching for physical support - she didn't look very sturdy in those high heels. She was wearing a tight red dress that went down to her knees, with a slit on the side of her thigh. Surprisingly, she wasn't accompanied by anyone - but she did look like she was waiting for someone.

"Hey you." Damon greeted her with a genuine smile, as he let his eyes roam over her. Not in a sexual manner, he wasn't gawking - he simply wanted to check the state that she was in. He didn't know what to expect from drunken Elena.

Her brown eyes lit up as they landed on him and a wide smile instantly appeared on her tired face. "Hey handsome, you came!"

"How could I say no to this pretty little face? Come on, let's get you home." He offered his hand to her, and she took it without any hesitation.

"You look really hot by the way. Just saying." She giggled, looking up to meet his gaze, and snuggling up to his side.

They swerved through the crowd and reached the exit in a swift manner, as Damon strongly held onto Elena's body, keeping her close and steady. The cold air hit them as they left the bar, which alerted Damon to how little clothes she was wearing. His car was parked a good five minutes away, so he offered his jacket and helped her get into it. It swallowed her whole, and he found her rather cute in this outfit.

"Thanks." She smiled at him, looking cosy and satisfied.

"You're welcome. We have to walk up a little to get to my car, are you okay to walk?" He raised his brow a little unsure.

"My feet hurt." She pouted, lifting one leg to show him the shoes that she was wearing.

He laughed at her clumsiness and quickly reached out for her arm, to stop her from falling over. "Okay babe, I get it. Piggy back it is then."

He turned his back to her and lowered himself down, so that she could easily climb onto his back. She didn't argue with him, clearly the alcohol lowered her inhibitions, as she accepted the invitation and wrapped her toned legs around his waist and rested her hands loosely around his neck. She weighed as little as a feather, so he snaked his hands under her knees to ensure that she stayed in place. This should have been a tiring chore, but he honestly didn't mind. In fact, he enjoyed having her small face cradled in his neck and her sweet jasmine scent invading his senses.

"Alright, we're good to go." Damon said as he put his hands on the steering will, after finishing doing Elena's seat belt. She struggled quite a bit with that task.

"I don't have my keys." She said unbothered.

"Are you sure? Where did you have them?" He began searching for her purse, but the tiny thing barely fit her phone in it, so he didn't expect to have any luck in that department.

"I didn't. I wasn't planning on going back home tonight." She simply shrugged her shoulders, as he struggled to understand what she meant by that. "You can take me back to your place. I promise I don't bite." She winked at him before closing her eyes and slouching back into the seat.

Well, it's not like he had a choice - she didn't exactly have any other place to go to. He accepted her explanation with a simple nod and started the car.

* * *

He watched as Elena strolled around his apartment, the sound of her heels clicking against the marble floor filled the entire hall. She reached down in a feeble attempt to remove her shoes, clearly still strongly believing in her balancing abilities.

"I know you're a big girl and all that but let me help you." He chuckled and helped her walk over to the sofa where she could comfortably sit down.

"May I?" Sober or not, he preferred to ask for her permission. Just in case she decided to kick him in the face, or something to that effect,

"Aw, who would have thought that you'd be such a cutie. You may." She giggled taking in the sight of Damon down on his knees in front of her. Not the worst thing that could happen to a girl.

He gently removed the black pumps from her feet, admiring the softness of her skin under his touch. It didn't help imagining having those sleek legs wrapped around him and continuing what they had started in his office, but tonight wasn't going to be that night.

"Oh, so much better." She moaned in pleasure, a sound that certainly went straight to his pants. She stood up and stretched out her arms upwards, releasing a small yawn. "Can we go to sleep?"

"Yep. You sure need it." He sent her a smile, which instantly faded away as he noticed her hands reaching for the hem of her tight dress and pulling it upwards, in an attempt to take it off.

"Woah, woah hold up! I'll show you where the bathroom is, you can get changed in there Elena."

She maneuvered out of the dress quiet skillfully, in comparison to all the other things she struggled with in her drunken state, this one was almost too easy. She stood in front of him wearing black lace lingerie and an honest grin on her face, like she was feeling proud of her achievement.

"Don't be such a prude, you would have seen me naked sooner or later."

Damon groaned, not knowing where to look. He had imagined her like this plenty of times, but this superseded his imagination - the soft curves of her body and silky-smooth skin wrapped in black lace drove him insane. Like they say, the forbidden fruit always tastes the sweetest - and tonight she was forbidden, because come tomorrow morning she would regret this.

"Elena, I'm a man not a saint." He snarked, not trying to be rude but she was starting to play with fire. "Please cover up, I'll show you the bathroom."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring his request and swiftly turned on her heel, wiggling her ass in front of him and walking further into his apartment. His pants suddenly tightened, and he sighed shaking his head. God, that woman would surely be the death of him.

"Found it!" He heard her shout from one of the bathrooms, at least she listened to him in this instance. He removed his own jacket and shoes and walked into the closet in search for some sweatpants and a t-shirt for Elena. He wasn't letting her sleep half naked with him in the other room, there was only so much a man could take.

He picked out the comfiest set and left it by the door, after telling her to get changed into them and come out when she is ready. It only took around 10 minutes in which he contemplated checking in on her, but soon enough she sneaked out and sat on the corner of his bed, waiting for him.

She washed off her makeup and looked like the sweet innocent Elena he saw at the lake house, and once again he concluded that this was his favourite look.

"Time to sleep, huh? Get under the covers munchkin."

She climbed under the covers on his side of the bed, the pillows smelt of his cologne and it felt so much like home. He pulled the duvet over her and pecked the top of her nose, to which she giggled in return.

"Night Lena."

"No, stay here with me." She grabbed his hand and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Are you sure you want me to?"

"Yes, please."

He smiled, nodding his head. He walked over to the other side of the bed and climbed in, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest. He didn't realise how much he had missed falling asleep next to her.

"You know, for people who don't have sex we spend a whole load of time in bed together." She murmured under her breath.

He chuckled at her comment. "We sure do."

"Night Damon." She whispered and closed her eyes, snuggling up to him.

"Sweet dreams." He placed a soft kiss on her hair before closing his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 _ **A/N: Hi guys! Thank you so much for all your reviews for the last chapter, the numbers keep growing and more people keep joining in - which honestly melts my heart. It's so motivating to write knowing that you're enjoying it! Sorry for the slight delay, but I hope you'll enjoy this one. I'm planning to start writing the next one tomorrow, so hopefully it shouldn't take longer than a week for the next chapter to follow. Have an amazing week you guys! xx**_

* * *

Elena's head was pounding and lifting her eyelids felt like the hardest thing to do. She licked over her dry lips and felt the unbearable thirst hinge in her throat, feeling like she hadn't drank water in over a hundred years. _What the hell happened?_ She carefully opened her eyes, expecting the sunlight to hit her in the face, but finding it filled with darkness instead. The surroundings were not at all familiar, as she began to realize that this was definitely not her bedroom. The smokey grey walls and dark wooden floor didn't remind her of anything, and her memory had given up on her. She peaked under the covers and noticed that she was fully dressed, _what a relief._ She could easily eliminate the possibility of a one night stand, as no guy had ever left her sleeping in clothes.

She slowly sat up, careful not to make any sudden movements - otherwise her head would surely explode. The bed was extremely comfortable, she had to admit - the mattress must have cost a fortune, but the money had been well spent. Which pointed her to the fact that whoever's bed she slept in had a few bucks to spare and was quite considerate - she thought, as she noticed the glass of water and aspirin placed on the white bedside table. _An angel sent from heaven._ She instantly gulped it down, hoping for the best.

She found the strength to crawl out of bed and turned to look at herself in the mirror - a decision she immediately regretted: the image on the other side truly terrified her. The grey sweats and baggy t-shirt definitely belonged to a man - last night's mascara was smudged under her eyes and the curly brown locks looked rather unruly. She grabbed her purse, which was laying on a chair along with her neatly folded dress, and pulled out a hair tie in order to put her hair into a messy bun. It was time for the walk of shame, even though she couldn't for the life of her remember what happened last night.

Elena reached for the door, opening it and stepping out into the hall where she could faintly hear music playing in the background and someone humming along to the song. The dark wooden floor continued throughout the entire apartment, this time the walls were painted a light beige colour with black smoked glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. As she reached the kitchen, she was greeted by the most welcoming view she could have hoped for: it was Damon humming along to some cheesy song playing on the radio, clad only in a pair of loose sweatpants that rode low on his hips - revealing the delicious v-lines on his lower abdomen. He was shirtless and with a body like that, he would do the whole world a favor by not wearing a shirt ever again. He was clearly in his zone, preparing breakfast and simply enjoying the moment- she liked seeing him so chilled out and so _him_.

"Good morning, troublemaker." Damon greeted her amused.

"Hey." She muttered out in a hoarse voice, caught off guard. She leaned away from the door frame and walked over to the kitchen island, giving him a small smile.

"How do you feel?"

"How I look." She raised her brows, pointing out the obvious.

He chuckled. "Rough then, huh? I see that you haven't lost your claws though."

"Sorry, I'm just really cranky.." She gave him an apologetic look, embarrassed at her lack of appreciation. "I feel and look like total crap. And I kind of have no idea what I'm doing here."

Damon nodded his head, not surprised that she couldn't remember a thing. He switched off the stove, and transferred the scrambled eggs onto a plate. He put the plate in front of Elena, gesturing at her to take a seat.

"Coffee?"

She nodded and he poured the hot liquid into a mug, handing it to her. The coffee was black and strong, just how she liked it. She retrieved it with a warm smile and took a sip, devouring the warm sensation spreading through her body.

"You had too much to drink, and told your friends to ask me to pick you up. I drove you here, because you didn't have your house keys and then I nicely put you to bed. With minor difficulties along the way, but nothing worth mentioning ." He simply said with a light shrug of shoulders.

"Gosh Damon, I'm sorry.. You should have just made me stay the night with Bonnie. That was the plan in the first place anyway."

He took note of that, hoping that's what she meant last night when she said that she wasn't planning on going back home.

"You wanted to stay with me, and Bonnie stayed with Enzo so that wasn't an option. Anyway, it's not like I mind having you over."

She rolled her eyes lazily. "Oh yeah, cause babysitting drunk Elena is exactly what you dream of doing on a friday night. But thank you Damon, I really owe you one."

"I can think of a few perks from last night. It wasn't all that bad." He winked at her playfully. "Also, I might as well start charging your for all these favours, cause the list keeps growing."

Elena crinkled her nose in confusion, but then remembered Emma's upcoming birthday party to which she begged Damon to come to. That party was literally around the corner, and she still didn't know who to introduce him as.

"Don't worry, I'll pay up." She half laughed.

"If it's going to be anything like last night, then I can't wait." Damon teased.

"Damon!" Elena gasped, her eyes widening with shock. "What did I do? Did I embarrass myself again? Oh God, please tell me that I didn't come onto you."

He laughed at her bemusement, enjoying this innocent side of her. "Chill Elena, you didn't do anything. You gave me a little strip tease, that's all - no touching involved, I promise. And honestly, I didn't mind."

"This is exactly why I don't get drunk, all my inhibitions fly out the window when I do." She groaned, shaking her head.

The one person that she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of was Damon - yet here she was ending up totally wasted in his apartment and acting like a stupid teenager. Last night she had too many drinks, and she knew exactly when she exceeded her limit - but she was in a bad mood and needed to catch a break from reality.

"I'd rather you lose them around me." He spared her a glance, before taking a sip of his own coffee. "Eat up and drink your coffee, you'll feel better. And then I can drive you back home, if that's what you want?" He questioned.

No. That wasn't what she wanted. All that she craved right now was to take a long hot shower in _his_ bathroom, jump back into his comfortable clothes and curl up next to his warm body on the sofa, and perhaps watch a sappy romantic comedy or a shitty horror film. As long as it was in the comfort of his arms, she didn't mind. But that would obviously cross the boundaries and open the doors to a place that she wasn't ready to face.

"Sure, I could use a ride."

"Okay." He smiled, accepting her request.

Was it her imagination or did he seem a little disappointed with her response?

* * *

"Thank you." She began to unfasten her seat-belt as they pulled up in her driveway. "For the ride, breakfast and last night." She gave him a warm smile.

"You don't need to thank me, Elena. I wanted to do all those things. You're safe and sound, and that's all that matters." He pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and gently stroked her cheek.

She leaned over and left a sweet kiss on his cheek. It did all sorts of things to her knowing that he wanted to take care of her. Maybe it made her naive, but she really believed that he liked having her around - and not just for the purpose of getting laid at the end of it.

"Are you still up for tonight?"

"Well, you've seen me at my worst and still want to go on a date with me, so I'm going to take what I get and say yes." She grinned at him, finally seeing some amusement in the situation.

"That's my girl, I'll see you at 7."

Was it a casual slip or was it his subconsciousness telling him that this is the woman for him. Ever since she entered his life, everything suddenly made sense. His actions weren't forced, the need to protect her and the desire to constantly have her nearby, to hear her voice first thing in the morning or to feel her body heat against his before he drifts off to sleep - it all came naturally, unforced.

* * *

The bathroom quickly steamed up, as the hot stream of water washed over her body. Each droplet eased the ache of her tense muscles, gently caressing her skin and washing away the hardship of the past few days. This was exactly what Elena needed to finally feel like a living-breathing human being again, and to prepare for her date with Damon.

The clothes that he gave her were already freshly washed and ironed, ready to be handed back to him. She made sure to use her favorite fabric softener, a nice touch that would hopefully remind him of her. A part of her wanted to keep them, somehow they felt more comfortable than the silk set of pajamas that she bought for over $160 - was it because they belonged to Damon? Nope. She shoved the thought away as soon as it appeared.

She had dated guys before and that included going on cliche dates, like having picnics in the local park or going to the movies together. The simplicity of dating was so pure and innocent, it usually led to beautiful destination, a journey full of adventures - or at least that's what she used to think of dating. But tonight she found herself doubting the ideology. How long had it been since she went on an actual date? Well, it was the first time since.. Yeah, the first time since _then._ To say that she was nervous was an understatement.

Maybe it was the fact that tonight would be _the_ night. She knew it, they both knew it. The tension between them was thick and intense, every time his lips touched hers she could barely control herself - the insane craving to touch every square inch of his body drove her mad. They both felt the frustration at not being able to give in. But tonight things would be different: she was ready for it and they would finally be alone, no one there to disturb them. She was no longer going to deny herself the pleasure of having Damon Salvatore all to herself - even if it was for just that one night.

The carefully chosen outfit was laid out on her king size bed, as she stood watching over it for the 100th time - Would he think it's too simple? Too slutty? Too desperate? It was getting late and she had no other options, so this would have to do. She bit her lip unsure before sighing and dropping the towel to the floor, and slipping into her new set of lingerie. She bought it a week ago and liked to fool herself that it wasn't done with Damon in mind - although she was sure that he was used to the highest standard of beauty and she was eager not to disappoint.

It was a strapless black bustier covered in a sheer mesh, layered with striking super soft lace. She paired with a simple black lace thong, as she cleverly observed that it was his favorite colour - or at least his go to when it came to clothing choices. The bustier cupped her breasts in a seductive manner, and paired with the navy velvet strapless dress it provided just a sleek glimpse of what was hiding underneath. She chose to wear two part skinny high heeled sandals in black with buckle detail on the straps, and to finish off the look she threw on a casual over-sized, unbuttoned black blazer. To brighten up the outfit, she went for a dark red lip and simple eye makeup.

She ran her fingers through the sleek straight hair, trying to add some volume to it. The doorbell rang and she furrowed her brows, noticing that Damon shouldn't get here for another 15 minutes. She hurried over to the door, checking her reflection one last time before opening it.

"You're early." She smiled, but quickly released a small gasp when she saw that it's not Damon that's standing at her door.

"Elijah? What are you doing here?"

He gave her a brief smile, looking a bit baffled at her appearance.

"I thought I'd check in on you. You didn't come to the office on Friday, but I see that you're doing just fine…" He muttered the last bit.

"I'm fine. I wanted to take a breather and work from home." She sighed, hating having to explain herself. Didn't he say that she's just as much of a boss? "Rose was supposed to pass the message to you."

"Yeah, she did. I just thought that you're not doing so well because of.. Are you going out somewhere?" He asked distracted, noticing that she kept checking the time.

"No, this is how I spend my evenings in front of the TV." She rolled her eyes annoyed. He was really pushing her buttons today. "Because of _what_ , Elijah?"

"You know, Elena. It's a difficult time for us and I know that you don't quite know how to deal with it.." He knew that he was walking on thin ice, he tried to piece the words together as carefully as possible. But his eyes strongly avoided contact with hers.

"Oh I deal just fine with the fact that we lost our baby, Elijah. Name it for what it is." She snapped, looking coldly at him. She didn't mean to be harsh, but she hated that he would always treat her like glass; like she could break at any point.

"Don't be like that, don't pretend with me. All I wanted to know is that you're okay. The anniversary is -"

"I know, when it is. And I don't want to talk about it, Elijah. It doesn't help me, nor does it help you. We can't change what happened."

"But we can get through it together… I just want you to know that I'm here if you need to talk to someone who knows exactly what you're going through." He shrugged his shoulders carelessly, his gaze dropping to the ground.

She suddenly felt a rush of guilt, but not the kind that she felt for leaving him or not being to love him like she promised him she would. Sometimes she would act like she's the only who lost something, like it wasn't difficult for him to accept that things turned out the way they did. But that was her defense mechanism, she couldn't afford to talk about it - that only reminded her of pain that was too real, too much to bare.

"I'm sorry." She released a deep sigh, unsure placing her hand on his shoulder. "That was harsh of me. I know that you're also hurt Elijah, and you've always been the stronger one - the better one. You were always there for me, even when I wasn't there for you. But I just can't talk about this, I don't know if that will ever change."

He simply nodded, taking note of the tears welling up her eyes. He grimaced, making her cry was not on his agenda. "No, it's fine. I shouldn't have come. I know that you'd let me know, if you needed me. I'm just one call away, okay?"

"I know. And how are you doing? With all this.." She knew that he'd always pretend to be strong for her - even when they were no longer together, he would spare her as much suffering as he could. Together or not, Elena couldn't just stop caring about him - she used to love him and wanted to be there for him. There was too much history between them to just erase him out of her life.

"As okay as I can be, don't worry about me though. Anyway I better get going, have a nice evening. And take care of yourself, Elena." He placed a brief kiss on her cheek, faking a little smile.

She returned the smile as best as she could, and opened the door to let him out - just in time to see Damon getting out of his car and walking towards her doorstep. The timing couldn't have been worse. She immediately turned to look at Elijah, nervously waiting for a reaction from him - she knew that he wouldn't understand, that it would make her look heartless, but now it was too late to deny it.

Damon strolled over to them, and she didn't miss the cold glance that he spared in Elijah's direction - he must have known who he was. But he still seemed calm and unbothered and the minute he reached them, she was lost in the ocean of his ice blue eyes and struggled to find the air in her lungs.

"Hey." She tried not to give anything away, but she couldn't help the huge smile from forming on her face. It wouldn't be ridiculous to say that the whole neighborhood could heart her heart beating like a drum - let alone Elijah who was still standing right there next to her.

"Hey back." He replied, with the cheeky grin - he found himself in quite an uplifting mood. It didn't feel natural to just stand there and greet Elena like a random friend, but he stopped himself from touching her in front of him, not wanting to put her in an awkward situation.

Elena unwillingly broke their eye contact, and cleared her throat nervously. "Damon - this is Elijah. And Elijah, this is Damon."

She stepped back, allowing them to move a little closer. She observed the brief, yet stern handshake as they exchanged the typical, polite 'nice to meet you.' It was evident that Elijah was unimpressed - maybe not with Damon as a person, but as a potential boyfriend of hers. His dark brown eyes narrowed in on him and his nostrils flared a little - this was his typical disapproval face. But only Elena could recognize that look.

"I'll see you on Monday, Elena. Have a nice evening." Elijah gave her one last longing look, before briefly glancing at Damon and giving a light nod. He didn't bother faking a smile, and she didn't blame him.

"Goodnight Elijah.." She replied, watching him disappear behind the side of her building - making his way to his car, which he would usually park outside her garage.

There was a moment of brief silence, as they both stood at the front door - waiting to see the car driving away. Her eyes lingered on his, as they desperately missed the connection that they shared a few moments ago. His body shifted closer to her, snaking his fingers under her chin and pulling her into a kiss. The other hand rested on her hip, as he gently pressed her closer to him.

"I've been waiting to do this ever since I saw you walking out that door." He said in a lowered hoarse voice, scanning the look of awe and the rosy pink blush creeping onto her face.

"From now on, this is the only way that you're allowed to greet me." She muttered into his lips before bravely kissing him with all that she had.

She might have heard a faint sound of screeching tires in the background, but suddenly it didn't matter if anybody was watching. She felt the urge to put her claim on him and have the ability to kiss him and touch him whenever and wherever she felt like it.

They pulled away, both smiling. She giggled, seeing the red lipstick smudged on the side of his lips and reached with her thumb to wipe it away. She noticed his grin getting wider.

"What?"

"Nothing. I like this dress." He replied nonchalantly, his gaze dropping to her outfit.

"I thought that you would." She bit her lip teasingly.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yep, just need to grab my purse." She hurried back inside and grabbed her belongings, shutting the door behind her. He offered his hand to her and she took it, as they walked down the steps and strolled over to his car.

"Damon, about Elijah.." She started uneasily, keeping her eyes locked to the ground. He was the perfect gentleman and blocked out all emotions when he saw her with Elijah, but she imagined what it could have looked like from Damon's perspective - and it had to be cleared up. He had to know _this_ much.

"I get it. He's a part of your life, I can't expect you to never see him again."

She shook her head. "He's a part of my history, Damon. But there's nothing there anymore, and I want you to know that."

"I know. Otherwise I wouldn't be here." He gazed over at her.

"I haven't told him yet, but I will. I don't want you to feel like you're my dirty secret. You're... way more than that." She bit her lip, looking up at him and hoping to see an understanding in his eyes. Even though she didn't deserve it, she felt awful for keeping him at the sideline.

They reached the car and he leaned against the passenger door, blocking her entrance - his other hand shoved into his pocket.

He sighed, before speaking up. "I may have pushed you a little last time. If you're ready to tell him, do it. But he's probably figured it out after tonight anyway." He checked for trace of panic on her face, but failed to see any so he continued. "And this whole thing that we've got going on is really new to me Elena, I'm sure everyone's told you that I don't do relationships. I'm not anyone's prince charming." Hr rolled his eyes. "But I see you almost everyday and it's still not enough for me, so yeah I guess I do want to be more than a dirty secret of yours."

"I'd like that too."

"So I trust you that there's no one else. And I don't need any proof of that, take as long as you need. Now let's get moving and enjoy this evening together, sounds good?" The side of his lip turned into a smile.

"Sounds good." She nodded, happy with his response.

"You look beautiful, by the way." He whispered into her ear, as he leaned over to reach the handle and open the door for her.

She smiled and turned to look at him, before climbing inside the vehicle. "You're not lacking in this department either."

He chuckled and winked at her, as he shut her door and walked over to his side. This was going to be a good night.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: The next chapter is finally here! I am so sorry for the delay in uploading, I've felt really bad about this but honestly I tried and couldn't get it out any sooner. Life is just too chaotic right now. I also didn't get the chance to reply to all of your amazing feedback, but I promise I will today or tomorrow. I am so thankful for the support! This one isn't the longest, but I really wanted to get something out there. I hope to have the next one out soon. I hope you've all had a lovely christmas/happy holidays! Thank you for being so patient, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'd like to wish you all a very happy New Year!**

 **Also please be advised: MATURE CONTENT (If you're not comfortable with smut, don't read please)**

 **Chapter 10**

"Get comfortable. I need to head into the kitchen" Damon said, after retrieving Elena's blazer and placing it on the hanger.

"You're cooking for me?" She asked pleasantly surprised.

"Why, are you doubting my cooking skills?" He arched his brow.

"Well, I know there's some Italian heritage involved, but I don't know how much I can rely on it." She giggled. "Men like you don't usually cook, that's all."

"Men like me? Baby, I assure you I'm one of a kind. My cooking will knock your socks off."

"Mm, we'll see about that. And are we having something for dessert?" Elena asked as she started to wander around his living space.

"I hope so." He said, licking his lips teasingly.

She instantly blushed at the innuendo but didn't bother addressing it. Damon had already dived into the kitchen, so she didn't hesitate in taking a closer look at the surroundings - or his kingdom, as she liked to think. This was the second time that she'd been in his apartment, but it's fair to say that most of that time had failed to register in her memory. The place was simple and sleek - the colour palette was largely limited to white, black and grey. The little details gave it a character, adding a little spice and originality. Coming to think of it, it resembled Damon's personality to a T - it was nothing short of perfection, with some dark edges on the outside and a glimpse of mystery.

Elena gently picked up the only photograph in her sight. The photograph entailed a lovely green garden filled with exquisite flowers and a large white tent shielding the buffet tablet. In the center stood Damon clad in a suit with a genuine grin on his face - like he didn't mind being at the party. He was standing next to a handsome guy who shared the same sharp features: sharp jaw and a pointed nose, but his complexion was warmer, and he had musky blonde hair - she pegged him for his younger brother.

What jumped out the most was the similarity between Damon and his father; they both shared the sharply defined jaw and the same shade of blue eyes. A beautiful and elegant woman stood proudly next to them - the warmth beamed from her smile, her dark brown hair was neatly pinned up in a bun and she wore a cream elegant dress. Clearly, good looks were a part of their genes.

Elena smiled to herself before placing the picture frame back in its place. They looked like a typical happy family - and it was impossible not to be jealous of the love the that they seemed to share, especially when you lacked an emotional bond as such. She turned her attention to the open balcony door in front of her, as the wide gap allowed a cool breeze to sweep into the apartment. Embracing the invitation, she stepped outside.

The view was breath-taking. The apartment was located on the 23rd floor, which allowed for a soaring glimpse of the city and all its skyscrapers; flashing lights, sound of beeping horns echoing from the busy streets. Yet the scene was far from chaotic, in fact it welcomed a sense of peace and distance from all that was going on in the world.

"There you are."

Elena felt Damon standing right behind her, their bodies almost touching - she could feel his warm breath on her neck. Slowly, she turned to face him and noticed the glass in his hand, as he gestured at her to take it.

"You look just like your father." She remarked with a smile, referring to the photograph.

"So, they say." Damon handed her the drink and moved to stand beside her. "And did you see that broody guy with the hero hair? That would be Stefan, my brother." He pointed out with a low chuckle.

Elena laughed, remembering how she used to bicker with Jeremy and say silly things like that. "He's cute. Caroline would like him."

"Mm, keeping the better brother for yourself, smart." He smirked in response.

"I'm refusing to stroke your ego any more than you already do." She shook her head, taming down a smile.

"Coming from you that's a whole other level of flattery though." He coaxed with that staple smirk of his. "I like it when you do that."

"What, call you out for the size of your ego?"

He laughed showing off his pearly white teeth.

"That too. Not many people call me out on my bullshit." He admitted with a shrug of shoulders. "I like it when you blush. For that brief moment I get to see all the emotions that you try so hard to hide."

She startled, suddenly feeling exposed. "You think that I'm not being real with you?"

"No" He uttered, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I think that you're a really strong, independent woman who's been strong for too long. It's hard for you to let someone take care of you, to think that you can actually let your guard down."

Elena wanted to argue with him, but surely that would be pointless - considering how right he was. She bit her lip nervously, not knowing what to say. Normally there would have been a snappy comment or a burst of laughter to show him how ridiculous he was being.

"Damon-"

"I don't expect you to admit it, Elena." He leaned his forehead against hers, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. "But that will change with time, I'll make sure of that."

"What if I'm a lost cause?" She murmured, her defenseless gaze fixed on him.

He gently shook his head disapprovingly. "Not having everything figured out doesn't make you a lost cause."

Elena watched the warmth and understanding beam from his eyes. He meant every word and saw right through all the barriers - which didn't surprise her anymore. That was Damon in all his glory. To him Elena was an open book, a complicated one, full of uncertainties - yet somehow, he couldn't put it down. Soon enough, it became a favorite novel of his - and he saw beauty in the unknown.

Their lips brushed in whisper of a kiss, barely touching but full of unspoken feelings. Their eyes tightly shut, the tips of their noses touching - and nothing ever felt better. He placed a chaste kiss on her pouty lips before they slowly pulled away from each other.

Elena leaned over the balcony with the drink in one hand and turned her head to gaze at the sky full of stars, enjoying the warm breath of wind stroking her bare shoulders.

"You never really talk about your brother."

"Stefan's not all that interesting to talk about." Damon snickered. "We don't see each other often, he lives in Chicago - I'm here. But he's a decent brother, so I can't really complain." He eased into the conversation, slipping closely next to her body and looking out into the distance.

Elena smiled warmly, thinking back to how much she missed the simple family dynamic. "That's like Jeremy. I barely ever see him anymore, but when I do it's like we're still the kids that we once were. Apart from now he has a kid of his own. And that still freaks me out sometimes." She shook her head, a small laugh escaping from under her breath.

"So why move to New York, far from your whole family?" He questioned warily.

She gulped down some of her wine, before sighing and piecing the words together. "Jeremy is one thing. My parents are a completely different story. So, when I got the opportunity to go to an amazing college far away from home, I didn't hesitate in taking it. My mom's hard to please - and let's just say that my recent choices have been a huge disappointment for her."

"Being one of the best lawyers in the city is a disappointment?"

"They've always been proud of that. But leaving Elijah - who my mom absolutely adored and literally dreamed of having as a son in law, well let's just say that it was hard pill for her to swallow." She snickered, the frustration in her voice evident.

"He was perfect in many ways, great job, good family, the perfect gentleman. Obviously, it was all too good to be true, and she resented me for the fact that it didn't work out."

"Well, she sounds like a blast." He mused, contemplating at how much he already disliked the woman - simply for being the cause of Elena's sorrow. "I'm guessing you don't see much of her?"

"Nope. Honestly, as little as possible. Emma's birthday party will be the first time in a while. So, I may have gotten you into a bit of a pickle, huh." A lazy smile stretched over her lips, as she avoided diving too deep into the uncomfortable conversation. It felt too easy to tell him everything, yet it was too dangerous to step into that territory.

"I'll have a blast proving her what an amazing woman you are." He contradicted, with a genuine smile and that sparkle hidden somewhere in the deep blue ocean of his eyes.

"Mm, that would be right before you prove to me that you're one hell of a cook." She angled her head to pass him a sly smile.

"And on that note Miss Gilbert you are no longer getting your dessert tonight."

Damon groaned inwardly, she wasn't helping her case by standing there all pouty and lustful, with those doe eyes drilling into him. Having his way with her before dinner was even out of the oven would certainly fail to paint him in the right light, but _fuck_ was he a saint or what?

"Haven't you heard that all good things come to those who wait?" He countered teasingly.

"Perhaps patience isn't my strongest virtue."

She licked over her lips and smiled, before bypassing him slowly and going back inside.

* * *

"Mm tiramisu, my favorite!" Elena exclaimed happily, as she stood next to the counter and observed Damon taking out the tray from the fridge with two glass bowls on top of it.

The kitchen cloth was casually thrown over his shoulder, his black pants hang a little loose and she couldn't help it but drown in the comfort of this moment. It was intimate, yet so casual - just two people having dinner and enjoying a nice evening together. But she'd never seen anyone look at her the way he did: with so much warmth and affection, and here he was cooking for her, making her feel special... A moment far too perfect to be brushed off as casual.

"Are you trying to ply me with alcohol?" Elena looked at him suspiciously, before bursting into giggles. She swiftly hopped onto the kitchen counter and comfortably placed her hands in her lap.

"Clearly those few glasses of wine failed to get the job done." He remarked with a chuckle, placing the tray down and looking up to meet her intrigued gaze.

"Don't get discouraged too soon." She leaned in and pecked him on the tip of his nose, like it a natural act between them.

"Must say I like your enthusiasm." He admitted with a confident grin. "Ladies first." He placed the bowl in front of Elena and rested his elbows on the surface.

She took the spoon and eagerly dug into the dessert. The taste of chocolate, cream and coffee swirled in her mouth as she closed her eyes and released an appreciative moan of pleasure.

"This is seriously good Damon! You're just the whole package, aren't you?" She giggled, although her words didn't lack the truth in them.

"Can't say I didn't warn you." A lazy smirk curved his lips, as he walked over to stand in between her legs and placed his hands on either side of Elena.

"I'm not exactly complaining." She murmured and loosely snaked her arms around his neck.

"Good, cause no refunds are accepted." He gave a low chuckle and hungrily pressed his mouth onto hers.

Elena's lips devoured his ardently - there was no shyness, as their tongues gracefully danced together in a heated manner. Damon slid his hands down her body and grasped onto her hips, as she wrapped her lean legs around his waist in response. He carefully lifted her up, his hands cupped her firm butt and gave it a little squeeze, as he slowly walked them over to his bedroom. He slammed her body against the wall, with one hand securely placed on the small of her back, as her petite frame slid down from his waist and her feet landed on the soft white rug.

Damon's leg slid between hers, as he secured his hands on her hips and pulled her closer towards his chest. She traced her tongue along his bottom lip, asking for permission to enter, as he parted his lips and allowed her mouth to reclaim his all over again. She began rubbing herself against Damon's thigh, as her hands slowly crept up his chest and reached the collar of his shirt and she began to unbutton it. These movement were bold, no trace of uncertainty in sight, as this was the one thing she felt confident in - she knew how to give pleasure and satisfaction, and there was no one else she wanted to give it to but Damon. She slowly pushed the material off his shoulders and dropped the shirt to the floor, allowing her eyes to roam all over his bare chest and the well-defined muscles.

Damon reclaimed her lips, firmly placing one hand on her waist and letting the other hand travel further up her dress, trying to locate the bar clasp. To his surprise his fingertips didn't find the velvet of her deliciously smooth skin, instead it was the sheer material of lace covering her abdominal muscles. A low growl escaped his lips, as he sneaked his thumb under the garment and teased the small peak of her hardened nipple by giving it a light tug. Elena's subtle moans were muffled by Damon's fierce kisses, the heat was pooling from her core as the need to feel him inside her grew stronger.

She felt his lips detach from hers, as his tongue began to trace soft kisses down her jaw and down to the sweet soft spot on her neck - where Damon's lips lingered a little longer, sucking and licking it at simultaneously. The moans elicited from Elena only encouraged him to keep going, as he finally reached her collar bone and lifted his hooded gaze to look up at her. Damon gently reached for the zip on the back of her dress, whilst the other hand was scooped up in her chocolate curls - he noticed her perfectly full lips swollen from his kisses and her eyes almost the shade of black, darkened with lust. Elena briefly nodded, giving him a reassuring look - this is what she wanted, and he was willing to take anything that she would offer him. He tugged at the zipper and it made its way down - effortlessly and slowly, as they maintained eye contact. Feeling bold, she tugged at the bottom of her dress as it became loose and swiftly fell to the ball of her feet, leaving her stranded in the carefully chosen lingerie.

Damon stood amazed, admiring the contrast of the black lace against her skin and taking in the soft curves of her body, knowing that this time he could have a taste of her. Taking control of the situation, Elena pushed Damon towards the bed as he stumbled back onto it, resting on his elbows. She leaned over him and reached for the belt buckle, releasing him of it in one swift movement and then undoing the button at the front of his jeans. Damon gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her down onto the bed only to flip them over, as she writhed beneath him - perfectly laid out on his black sheets. The remaining articles of clothing were slowly being discarded somewhere around the bedroom, as they took the time to explore their bodies.

Damon placed hot kisses all over her body, knowing that he'd never felt skin so soft and dwelling in the most beautiful and sweet scent of Elena, clouding all his senses. She shivered as his tongue swirls around her belly button and her muscles tensed, as his mouth lingered just above her aching core. He gently buried his finger in between the wet folds and dragged it against her aching flesh. She moaned at the sensation of his repeated strokes and started grinding against his hand which sent a wave of desire down his pants.

He leaned down to capture the perfect nipple in his mouth and began sucking at it, whilst his hand still worked at her core. Suddenly he felt her fingertips cradle his chin, as she pulled his face down into a fierce kiss, and before he could even realize, she'd managed to flip them over again. She threw one leg over his waist and successfully straddled him, her pussy glistening with want, begging to be claimed.

"Condoms are in the top drawer." He whispered huskily, devouring the sight of her on top of him - her breasts perfectly round and firm, the toned abs flexing as she reached towards the nightstand.

His hands had a mind of their own, as they wandered all over body - caressing her shoulders, the waistline and finally settling on her hips as his fingers dug into her skin. She confidently reached for his fully erect cock resting proudly against his stomach and rolled it down his shaft. Damon guided her grinding pelvis to the right position, and she leaned down one last time to kiss him, before she slowly slid down onto his cock. It filled her perfectly to the hilt, stretching her inner walls and creating a sense of satiation that they'd both never felt before.

She rolled her hips and threw her hair back, moans and gasps escaped her lips one by one, as her speed never faltered - Damon used his hips to thrust upwards and hit her g-spot every time. His fingers dug into her butt cheeks, as she began to unravel on top of him - her inner walls convulsed and flooded his cock with the sweet nectar, pulling him along with her.


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews and amazing feedback. This is a short one, next one will be much longer and more deal-breakers coming through (I'm currently in the process of moving houses and with very limited access to internet, as well as struggling to find the time to write in general - So sorry this might seem a bit rushed) Hope you enjoy this one x_**

 **Chapter 11**

Elena stood in front of the mirror, clad in the towel that Damon handed to her - it was teasingly short, of course. The wet brown locks fell clumsily over her bare shoulders, small water droplets still dripping from the ends and the smell of Damon's musky shampoo heavily lingered. She stood looking at herself, or more accurately _admiring_ the pure joy beaming from her face. She gently caressed the side of her neck, noting a very visible love bite peeking from under her right ear. A blush shot straight to her cheeks, a reminder of last night and early this morning… and a few minutes ago, in the shower. But it wasn't the sex that made her so happy. Although yes, it was mind blowing and she could easily classify herself as Damon Salvatore addict as of this morning - it was so much more than that. But she couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, _just_ yet.

"As much as I _love_ you in this towel," Damon peeked from behind the door, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Breakfast is ready, my lady."

"Damon!" She exclaimed with a pout on her face. " _I_ was supposed to make breakfast for you."

He grinned, thinking just how damn cute she looked right now, and walked over, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her frame against his chest.

He lowered his face so that the tips of their noses were brushing against each other.

"Elena, there's no nice way to put it - but I really didn't want to see my kitchen go down in flames."

She gasped, laughing and abruptly pulled back, giving him a playful slap on the arm.

"You're a dick, you know that?"

"Goes without saying." He grinned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'll have you know that I know my way in the kitchen, and I'll prove it to you." She tapped him on the nose, and proudly walked away to grab a hairbrush from the cabinet.

"Not just in the kitchen, baby." He winked at her, devouring her toned legs and the mini towel barely covering her ass.

Before she could remark with a comment, he gave her a gentle smack on her perky behind.

"See you at the kitchen table!"

She shook her head with a light laugh.

"Incorrigible." She muttered, gently running the brush through her hair.

* * *

"You know, now that I've seen you naked I'm not really satisfied with any of the clothes that you wear."

Damon rolled his eyes and shook his head as he watched Elena walk into the kitchen wearing his blue shirt, her hair was neatly tied up in a ponytail and she was barefoot. She hooped up onto the stool chair and comfortably rested her chin on the palm of her hands.

"So technically I'll forever be ugly to you?" She teased, biting her bottom lip.

"Why bother with technicalities when we can just get to the practical side of things?" He murmured, leaving a peck in the hollow of her shoulder.

One hand gently caressed her bare thigh, as it then slowly made its way up her back, neck and finally settled on the back of her head. Skillfully, he began to massage the back of her scalp, which earned him a soft purr as Elena leaned back into his touch.

"Stop trying to seduce me." She muttered out with a small smile, her eyes closed in the pleasure of his touch.

"Oh, like I have to try." He chuckled softly.

Elena twirled around in the chair and looked up to see him gloating. She pulled his face down to hers by grabbing the back of his neck, and very softly touched interlaced their lips, making sure not to break their eye contact. She ran the tip of her tongue across his bottom lip, which earned her access into his mouth and their tongues brushed against the other seductively.

"Damon." Elena murmured out breathlessly in between their kisses.

"Mm?" He made an incoherent sound, his lips still devouring hers and unwilling to let go.

"Get me my coffee."

He instantly opened his eyes, and gave her a questioning look, clearly confused. A wide grin appeared on her face, as she sent him a brief wink and twirled back around.

"You are a little tease."

"And don't you love it."

And fuck it, he did. There was a witty response in Elena for everything, there was never an ordinary moment filled with boredom or awkward silence - she was challenging and despite what she thought, she knew exactly what she wanted from life. He would be damned if he couldn't give that to her.

He kissed the top of her head and walked over to brew the coffee, setting aside two white mugs with a dash of milk in them. She liked her morning coffee a little stronger than usual, and with no trace of sweetness. He shook his head a little surprised at himself, because after all why did he know this? Well, she seemed to be the only woman that he's ever listened to - whenever she spoke, his ears lingered in genuine interest.

Sometimes he felt like the more he knew, the better chance he had of figuring her out.

That it would help him piece the puzzles together, because he took note of how appreciative she was of him understanding the parts of her that even she couldn't fathom herself. Recently, he found himself wondering why there was such a strong pull between them - why was he so adamant on being the one she'd fully open up to. Is it love? _No, it can't be_. They barely knew each other. But was time an accurate indicator of love? And how do you recognize that you're in love with someone, when you've never felt it before.

He was abruptly pulled away from his thoughts by the doorbell ringing.

"Don't worry, I'll get it _chef_." She giggled and jumped of the stool, making her way to the door.

Elena didn't bother checking the peephole, as she unlocked the door and opened it up just enough to see the person on the other side. She startled at the sight, recognizing the elegant couple from the photograph last night, standing right in front of her - with blatant confusion painted over their faces.

"Surely the deliver guy is going to have a good morning, when you greet him looking like that." Damon rolled his eyes and muttered from the kitchen, somewhat unimpressed at someone else seeing her wearing just an over-sized shirt.

He made his way to the front door, noticing a baffled Elena and his parents with eerily similar facial expressions. _His parents?! What on earth were they doing here?_

"Mom, Dad - what are you doing here?" Damon asked a little taken back, as he walked over next to Elena and tried hard to refrain from laughing. She looked like she wanted to hide six feet under, her cheeks flared up and her small hands crept at the sides of her shirt - in a desperate plea to pull it down.

"Oh honey, we're sorry for intruding!" The brunette flashed a sincere smile in their direction. "We've been trying to contact you since Friday and we couldn't get through. Stefan's visiting for the week, I wanted to have both of my boys for dinner tomorrow night."

 _Ah, Stefan_. He completely forgot about him coming over, it seemed like their conversation merely took place a few days ago, but clearly, it's already been a month. And that explained what his parents were doing in New York - they had an apartment near the company's headquarters, purposely for looking over the business and to meet both of their sons halfway. Apparently travelling to Richmond wasn't high in demand neither for Damon or Stefan.

"Sorry son, we didn't realize you had a guest." Giuseppe gestured at Elena, holding in a chuckle.

 _That chuckle_ \- so it wasn't just the looks that he'd gotten from his father.

"No, it's fine. Sorry, this is Elena... My girlfriend." Damon looked over at Elena and saw the surprised look on her face - not exactly the best way to make things official, but it needed to be done one way or another, right?

"It's nice to meet you Mrs and Mr Salvatore." Elena smiled nervously and stuck her hand out unsure, as if things couldn't get any more awkward. Meeting your apparent boyfriend's parents for the very first time in his shirt and no pants? _Check._

"Oh, don't _Mrs_ me sweetie, I'm Lily! And this is Giuseppe." Lily said dismissively, the smile on her face growing wider as she squeezed her husband's arm. "It's lovely to meet you! You can't even imagine how happy it makes me to know that my boy is finally seeing someone."

 _Finally - How long has it been since that blonde bimbo?_

Giuseppe briefly shook her hand and grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth and the small dimples on the side of his cheeks. "You should join us for dinner, Elena. It would be great to get to know you a bit better."

"Yes, that's a great idea! You'd get to meet Stefan and Lexi - his girlfriend. It would be so great to have all of us together."

Elena couldn't help but smile, they were good to the core and she instantly liked them.

"Okay mom, slow down - I don't want to scare her away just yet." Damon rolled his eyes. "We don't know what we're doing tomorrow, so I'll give you a call, okay?"

"Thank you very much for inviting me though, it's really kind of you." Elena added.

Giuseppe laughed and shook his head. "Yeah honey, let them make the decision. I'm sure we'll have plenty of occasions to meet with Elena and Damon. Now let's get going, I have to check in at the office."

Lily sighed and gave him the side eye. "On a Sunday?"

"Yep, business never sleeps." Giuseppe shrugged his shoulders and sent a brief wink to Damon.

"This man will be the death of me... I swear." She muttered out. "Okay then, I hope to see you soon Elena - take care of my boy." Lily pulled her into a brief hug, which surprised Elena - but she hugged her back, thankful for the genuine warmth.

"It was lovely meeting you both. And em, please excuse my attire." Elena blushed as her gaze briefly fell to her 'outfit'.

"Nonsense honey! Despite what you youngsters might think, we were also young and crazy about each other - once upon time. Especially in the beginning -"

Giuseppe cleared his throat. "Honey, I think they get it."

Lily blushed and giggled. "Okay, okay. We're out of here. Damon, you better call me today. Take care you two!"

"I will. Thanks, take care." Damon hugged his mum and shared a brief 'man hug' with his dad, as he finally shut the door behind them.

Elena released a deep breath that apparently, she'd been holding in and felt a bead of sweat building up on her forehead.

"That was probably the most embarrassing moment... Ever." She put her face in her hands.

"Hey, hey." Damon grabbed her by the waist and lifted her chin up, so that she was looking up at him.

"You did great. They loved you. If that wasn't the case - trust me, you would have felt it." He said truthfully.

"Really? So, the recipe to making a good impression on your parents is to be half naked?" She frowned at the image in her head - the only parents she'd ever met were Elijah's and that was after an entire year of dating, and yes, she was fully clothed.

"Well I'm sure none of the male population would have an issue with that." Damon laughed. "Okay, if it makes things better I can consider meeting your parents shirtless."

Elena glared at him and walked off to the kitchen.

"Oh, come on, babe."

* * *

"So, you're officially a thing now?" Enzo questioned, sitting down with a beer in his hand.

Damon shrugged off his leather jacket and placed it on the seat next to him. His pint glass was nicely set on the table. "I guess so. I mean she's the only girl that I've been seeing, and I want to be the only guy that she's seeing. The only thing left was to give it a label."

"And what did Elena think of that?" Enzo mused with an incessant gaze.

Damon grumbled a little. "Honestly, I have no clue. She's just so damn hard to read sometimes, and when it comes to me her feelings are completely guarded."

"Well, it's blatantly obvious that she's into you. Bonnie's constantly talking about it." He deliberated. "Elena's just a little scared off by long term commitment."

"Yeah, so I've heard." He snickered, twirling his phone in his hand. "It's only ironic that _I_ fall for the girl who doesn't do relationships, when I've been running from them my whole damn life."

Enzo chuckled and took a sip from his glass. "Hey, let's not forget Andie. She really tried."

"What's up with the past tense, her efforts are still going strong." A cheery voice mused next to them.

Both Damon and Enzo snapped their heads up to see Alaric, standing by their table with that typical grin on his face.

"Ah, someone's finally been released from Jenna's grip." Damon mocked as Alaric high-fived Enzo before taking a seat next to him.

"You don't see me complaining." The sandy blonde smirked. "So, what are you two brooding about?" Alaric raised his brow and shifted his gaze from Damon to Enzo, who shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Elena this, Elena that. The usual, right?" Enzo offered wittingly.

"Fuck, what did you do now?" Alaric frowned. "You know I'll be the one getting an earful if you turn out to be an ass who hurts Jenna's favorite cousin."

"I didn't do anything." Damon defended himself. "Apparently calling things for what they are isn't the way to do it anymore.

"So, you got turned down?"

Damon growled and glared at Alaric.

"No, you idiot. She just doesn't know… where we stand, I guess." He sighed. "Basically, I'm a good fuck, but not necessarily the boyfriend type."

"And since when does this bother you? You were always in it for a quick fuck rather than the lovey-dovey stuff."

Yeah, when exactly did things change? At what point did the pretty little brunette get under his skin and become the subject of his constant interest. When did late night sex turn into goodnight kisses and comforting hugs? Fuck, he was deeper in it than he thought.

"Since Elena is… Elena." Damon simply stated with a shrug of his shoulders. There was no other way to put it. Elena being herself was enough to turn his world upside down.

"Well, you're coming to her niece's birthday party next week, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I promised her a while ago."

"Honestly man, I really don't think it's you. Elena needs time to adjust, she's really had a rough year." Alaric sighed with an apologetic look.

"So maybe it's time someone tells me the truth. I'm getting tired of having to guess what made her the way she is. I won't judge, I just want to know what's going on with her."

"Ask. Maybe she'll open up…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 _Tears. Blood. Sweat. The dwelling realization that you're stuck and can't get out. The heaving chest and the broken heart beating so rapidly, fighting for every remaining moment. The lungs closing in, and you're struggling to take that breath, knowing all too well that it will be your last one. Your feeble hands reach for the seat belt digging into your rib-cage, you're pulling with all the strength that is left in you, but that damned button doesn't click and it's too stern to rip it up. Your neck is sore as you try to move your head and you wince in response, the tears well up in your eyes and you can't help it, so you let them out. They run like the river down your face and you refuse to open your eyes, because it will all be too real. The shattered pieces of glass lay scattered around you, some have even dug into your skin - allowing the red liquid to pour out. The sharp sting of pain lingers in your tummy, so your hand cradles it protectively - like you want it to know that you're still there, that everything is going to turn out just fine. But with every cramp that follows, and every silent scream of pain that escapes your lips, you know all hope is lost..._

 _So you're stuck, unable to free yourself from the clutches of death, and you hate yourself for it. You hate yourself for that fight, for getting angry when deep down you knew he wasn't to blame. You hate yourself for driving away in that storm, when he begged you not to. You hate yourself for being so goddamn stubborn and for always having to be right. You hate yourself for not realising what you had, whilst it was still yours...If only you knew._

Elena's eyes snapped open, she instantly sat up straight and threw the covers off her. Her heart-rate was rocketing as she struggled to catch a breath. Another panic attack. Another one of _those_ dreams. She quickly ran into the en-suite bathroom and turned on the tap, gathering the cold stream of water and splashing it onto her sweaty face. She sat down on the edge of the bath, her small face cradled in the wet palm of her hands as she tried to calm down her breathing.

It would help to think that it was just a nightmare, a stupid trick of the mind that you could just brush off and never speak of again. Most people could do that, but not Elena. She found the courage to look up and observe her own reflection in the mirror - there was no blood in sight, no visible distress on her face, no wounds to patch up… yet the devastation was evident, it hadn't faded one bit. The bad memories get repressed simply by no longer being acknowledged, but feelings? Especially those of crippling guilt...they never leave.

She sighed and reached for the white hand towel and gently patted her face dry. The clock showed that it was only 2 am - still too early for that inner monologue going on in her head. She switched off the lights and followed back into the bedroom, reaching for the duvet which was messily scattered over the empty bed - as she sluggishly climbed back under it, closing her her eyes.

Sleeping alone didn't feel right anymore. Not when she knew what it was like to fall asleep with Damon's arms securely wrapped around her and feeling his body heat radiating onto hers. It was her own safe little haven that gave her a piece of mind, created an illusion of belonging. To something, to someone. So she switched and turned, kicked off the duvet and pulled it back up, until she finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"So you're planning on keeping him in the dark, for how long exactly?" Caroline asked with a hint of seriousness in her tone.

"But does he _really_ need to know?" Elena drawled.

"Well if you want anything remotely serious with him, than yeah - duh!" Caroline put her iced coffee aside and sighed. "You've been seeing each other for how long now? You spend almost all of your time together, you've been so much happier since you met Damon. Don't you think he deserves to know?"

Elena rolled her eyes and continued picking at the paper sleeve of the coffee cup in her hands. "Well the minute he finds out he'll get out of the picture and reality will kick me back in the face, Care."

"Why would you even think that? Give him a bit more credit Lena." She countered with her gaze drilled into Elena, awaiting a reaction.

"Since I don't want him to be stuck in this mess with me. Why would a perfectly good guy like Damon tie himself to a woman like me?" She asked arching her brows. "I'm full of all sorts of issues. It's enough that I've ruined one of my exes happiness."

"Oh god, you did not ruin Elijah. He was just so damn in love with you and caught up in you, that he forgot how to function in a reality without his Elena in it." Caroline pointed out with determination, turning to look at her best friend. "He'll get over it eventually, perhaps seeing you with Damon could actually speed up his healing process."

"Are you trying to make this sound like a good idea? Cause it really isn't." Elena shook her head scuffing in a small laugh. "You didn't see Elijah's face when Damon came to pick me up on our date. If looks could kill, we'd both be dead."

Caroline rolled her eyes at Elena's stubbornness. "The guy needs a wake up call. _You_ left him, _you_ said you didn't want to be _his_ wife, you claimed he's just _not_ the one for you. Yet here you are like a year later, never once been serious with another guy - it's only natural that Elijah still counts on you changing your mind and realising that he _is_ the one for you." She argued releasing a long breath at the end of her speech.

Elena's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "So you expect me to hire a fake boyfriend or even better to use Damon just to get 'Elijah off my back? Just because I haven't met anyone yet doesn't mean that I made a mistake leaving Elijah - I don't love him Care."

"I know that, we all know that. I'm just saying that you should accept your feelings for Damon and let him have his way with you. That way you'll get to be hooking up with the beauty that is Damon Salvatore _and_ Elijah will finally see that you really are over him. It's like killing two birds with one stone, you know?" The blonde declared confidently with a smile.

"And then I should get married and have kids and we'll all live happily ever after, right?" Elena countered sarcastically.

"But why are you thinking so far ahead, just give Damon a chance, he won't hurt you. Sure, the guy is not a saint, but the way he looks at you and talks about you, you can't fake that." Caroline cocked her head to the side. "And before you come up with any more excuses!" She silenced Elena by putting the index finger against her lips. " _You_ won't hurt him either."

The brunette whined and threw her head back. You just couldn't argue with Caroline, she had an answer for everything.

"Enough about my soggy love-life." She jumped up from the bench, threw her bag over her shoulder and stuffed her hands into the back pockets of her blue jeans. "We are going to be late for your dress fitting!"

"Aha! So you do have a love life." Care smiled brightly and followed Elena's movements in suit. "And don't think we're finished with this conversation. You are going to call him, apologise for being an ass and have him come over and ravish you all night!"

Elena burst out laughing, as they started to walk towards her car. "Yes, because in a perfect world sex solves all problems."

"In my world it sure does." Caroline chuckled, linking arms with the brunette.

* * *

"Wow..this dress really was a good choice!" Bonnie gawked with amazement.

Elena looked up from her the screen of her phone to see Caroline standing in a beautiful white mermaid silhouette dress - it featured a skirt with low waist that opened out at the knees into a lower skirt of tulle decorated with beading. The bodice perfectly hugged the body, outlining a sweetheart neckline edged with sparkles and shimmers matching the skirt.

Caroline smiled and did a little twirl in front of the mirror, clearly taken by the dress.

"You really think so? I mean I do love it, but I keep having doubts somewhere in the back of mind." She squinted her eyes unsure, checking herself out from every angle.

Elena placed down her empty water glass on the table and walked up to her friend, giving her a warm smile and placing her head on Caroline's shoulder.

"Bonnie's right - it's perfect." She nodded her head in agreement. "You look like a princess."

"Aw stop it, you're gonna make me cry!" She giggled and wiped away a tear from the corner of the eye. "Do you think Klaus will like it?"

Elena stood back and looked at Caroline, rolling her eyes. "Are you kidding? That man literally worships the ground that you walk on, he'll die when he sees you in this dress."

"Exactly. You look stunning Care, this dress couldn't be a better fit for you." Bonnie chuckled and walked up to the girls. "Now come on, we need to capture this moment!" She pulled out her phone intending to take a selfie with it.

Elena quickly pulled away from the blonde and put her hand in front of the camera. "Have you seen the bags under my eyes today? Thanks, but no thanks."

Bonnie gave her the side eye and rested one hand on the hip, feeling something is up with her friend. "Lena, you've been really off guard recently, is something bothering you?"

She shook her head and sat back on the cozy velvet armchair, crossing one leg over the other. "Nope. I'm just feeling a bit crappy today. That's all."

Care carefully leaned against the golden framed mirror with arms folded over her chest. "Good luck getting anything out of her, her lips are sealed."

Elena felt both of her friends pair of eyes bore down on her, which made her feel feeling backed into the corner.

"What? There's nothing going on with me." She finally gave in with a deep sigh. "It's just that Care's getting married, she's the first one of us to actually start a family of her own, have her prince charming.. A house and all that. And you're like a day away from getting engaged to Enzo."

Bonnie half smiled. "No one's proposed yet, you know."

"But we all know it's going to happen sooner or later. And I'm so happy for you both." She said sincerely. "But I guess this has all been a little rough on me. I feel like I missed on my turn to do all of that, and I'm scared that I'll never be ready for those things."

"Hey, married or not - _this,"_ Caroline gestured at the three of them. "Never changes. We will always have each other. It's not a race as to who gets married first or whatever, just because I'm ready for this step - doesn't mean that you have to be ready."

"Totally. We are always here for you, whenever you need us." Bonnie added in agreement. "You'll get your happy ending too, God knows you deserve it."

Elena smiled appreciatively and strolled over across the room, to pull both of them into a tight hug. "Aw I love you guys."

"We love you too!" Bonnie exclaimed happily.

"Be careful not to ruin my dress!" The blonde exclaimed, as all three of them burst out laughing.

"Okay, now let's get to work!." Caroline said as she pulled away and gave them a stern look, confidently placing both hands on the hips. "The selection of bridesmaids dresses is ready, so you'll need to try each dress and pick the winner!"

Elena's shoulders slumped at the thought. "Oh Care, you know I'll just wear whichever one you like best. It's your wedding after all." She proposed, hoping to get away with it.

"Which is why _I_ picked the colour, so you and Bonnie pick the style. Now chop-chop, the clock is ticking!"

Elena groaned as she lazily dragged herself away from the comfort of the cozy armchair, and turned her attention to Bonnie. "Remind me why we're friends with her?"

Bonnie pretended to contemplate before answering, furrowing her brows. "She's always stocked up on the wine." She gave a shrug of the shoulders.

"Yep. That must be it." Elena sighed, making her way to the changing room.

"I heard that." The blonde shouted after them, throwing one of her flats at them.

Bonnie and Elena both burst out laughing and quickly shut the door behind them.

"Love you really!"

Caroline shook her head smiling and tiredly collapsed onto the sofa. "Dorks."

* * *

Elena hesitantly lifted up one hand, her eyes glued to the door in front of her. Gosh, since when was knocking on the door so damn hard? 1..2..3..

 _First Knock_.

 _Second Knock._

 _Third Knock._

Great. All the contemplation on whether she should have come see or him or not proved to have been completely useless as he wasn't even home. Just perfect.

"Elena?"

She heard Damon's voice coming from behind, which caused her to abruptly turn around.

"I thought I might have missed you." She said glancing over at the door and pulling her lip into a tight smile.

"Doughnuts?" He gestured at the Krispy Kreme paper bag in her hand, walking up to the front door.

"And coffee." She smiled lifting up the other hand in which she was holding up a tray accommodating two paper cups.

She almost forgot the reason for her visit when her eyes landed on Damon and his effortless way of looking so damn good in simple jogging clothes. Black looked good on him, especially when the material clung so deliciously tight to each curve of his muscles. She finally caught a glimpse of his gaze and the arched brow - he was confused.

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing here.." She broke the silence nervously, as he reached for the apartment keys in his pocket.

She cursed herself for not preparing some sort of a speech before dragging herself here and wasting his time.

"You can't blame me for being surprised at seeing you, after all you've been ghosting me all week." Damon said reaching for the door knob and swiftly opening it, before sparing a glance at Elena

Elena shook her head in a feeble attempt to defend her actions. "Damon, that's not what it was.. I know-"

"Come in." Not giving it much thought, he simply invited her in.

"So you're-"

"An idiot. I know." She butted in, as she placed the coffee and doughnuts on the counter. "I came to apologise for being such a bitch to you, and for running out on you like that.. for no reason. I'm sorry."

"Mhm, I'd say there's a reason or two that you're choosing not to tell me about." He countered dryly, leaning his back against the wall.

"Even if, that has nothing to do with you Damon..I know you've been nothing but patient with me, and I love you for that."

Her eyes instantly widened at the words that apparently she just spoke, and judging by the look on his face - he was just as shocked to hear them.

"I mean, fuck, no. That's not what I meant." She quickly corrected herself, suddenly feeling a little out of breath. "I just really appreciate it. And I know that you care about me.."

He sniggered. "So what's the _but_ Elena, that I care too much about you? Is that a problem to you now?"

"I never said that, Damon." She bit her lip nervously. "I guess I never anticipated that _this_ things between us would get this far.."

"Oh, I'm sorry - I didn't realise that I was supposed to fuck you once or twice and leave." He countered as the frustration pent up in him. He couldn't even begin to pinpoint exactly how angry he was with her for being so goddamn oblivious to everything.

"Don't act like you've never been that guy."

"Well you know what Elena, if you wanted to be another notch in my belt then you should have just put out on the first day. Would have saved us some time."

"But I didn't! Just because I'm scared of whatever this is between us, doesn't mean that I don't want it Damon.. I'm sorry I overreacted when you called me your girlfriend, I'm sorry I ignored you for 5 days straight, I'm sorry that I freaked out and ran the moment that things got serious.." She blurted out with a heaving chest, as she walked up to stand closer to him.

"But I'm not sorry for having these feelings for you. And I came here to tell you that I can't ignore them any longer." Her voice was breathless.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Damon studied her face curiously. The warmth of her body emanated onto him due to the sudden proximity between them.

She reached out to touch his cheek in a gentle, unsure gesture. The stubborn pricks of hair brushed against her fingers, it was evident that he hadn't shaved for the past few days.

"I'm ready for _us_." The words came out a mere whisper.

His eyes eyes seemed to have lightened up and his lips slightly parted in surprise. Elena climbed on the tip of her toes and softly pressed her mouth onto his. The palm of her hand curved around the nape of his neck and she felt Damon reciprocate the kiss, as his lips hungrily began to devour hers. He rested both hands on her hips and slammed her body against his stern chest, making her lose her breath.

He nipped and sucked at her bottom lip, meanwhile her hand reached for the zipper on his jacket and she pulled it down. Damon eased her struggle and shrugged the jacket off his shoulders, dropping it into the floor. Their clothing was being discarded one by one, each piece flying off to a different corner of the room as they hungrily undressed one another - and their tongues continued to dance together.

"Shower." He mumbled in between the kisses impatiently motivated by the desire to be buried deep inside of her as soon as possible.

Elena simply nodded in agreement without breaking their kiss, as she backed him into the bathroom. She was now left wearing just her panties, as Damon knelt down onto the tiled floor in front of her and began to place frenzied kisses on her flat stomach, before slowly shifting his attention to her lower belly. He felt a shiver run through her body and her fingers dived into his thick hair, as his lips trailed further down her shapely thighs. He hooked one finger behind the lace of her panties and gracefully pulled them down her body, and when they reached her ankles Elena swiftly stepped out of them discarding them to the side.

Damon pressed the button on the wall allowing the hot stream of water to flow from the shower head built into the ceiling. The steam quickly began to build up and the room turned into a sauna, their skin glistened and they exchanged one last longing look before their lips reconnected. The kiss deepened as he pushed Elena against the cold tiled wall and took her ass into his hands, giving it a tight squeeze as she wrapped her slender legs around his waist. His manhood proudly rested against his stern stomach and its head teasingly nudged at her core. A whimper escaped her lips as her arms grasped tightly around his neck in a desperate attempt to bring him closer.

"Damon _please_." She pleaded in anticipation of finally having him fully to herself, hungry for the loving and powerful strokes of his love.

He briefly nodded and pecked the tip of her nose, before tightening his grip on her body and carefully thrusting deep into her until he was fully submerged. A simultaneous moan escaped their lips at the sensation and after a brief moment of pause he slowly began to thrust in and out of her, slowly bringing her to a blissful release.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! I'm finally back with a new chapter - I realise how awfully late this update is and I am sorry about that. For those of you who stuck around and are still interested in reading - thank you so so much. I hope you enjoy this one. I promise to work on the next update much muuuuch sooner. But sometimes adulting really does get in the way. Anyway, thank you for your support! Have a great week x**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Damon woke up in a haze, a disarray of brown curls traveled their way across his chest and Elena's head rested comfortably in the hollow of his neck. Their legs were intertwined in a romantic dance and their bodies touching skin to skin.

He carefully moved his hand to swat away the strand of hair obstructing her face and he couldn't fathom what was it about Elena that flipped his world upside down. Of course the obvious wasn't necessary to point out, she was undeniably beautiful.. no one could deny that - there was evidence of men's infatuation everywhere they went. Damon knew all too well what the longing stares implied and had she been a stranger passing by, he'd surely be turning around to catch just one last look.

But he'd come across many breathtaking women in his lifetime, and given his looks, he barely ever had to search for an opportunity with them - the money, the power and the charm did the work for him. But at the end of the day, that's all these women were to him: a good fuck, a distraction, a hobby. They never even made it to the category of a 'potential girlfriend'... well, none apart from Andie, but that was never destined to end well. So soon enough Damon had convinced himself that he was never meant to be in a relationship. None of the girls he knew had anything to captivate him - he didn't even bother to engage in deep conversations and he never had an ounce of interest in listening to their stories.

Whereas Elena stumbled into his life by pure chance, never asking anything of him, never expecting him to be of any significance in his life. She was much too much like him, he thought. Yet the moment he laid his eyes on her for the very first time, he knew he had to see her again. The pull was undeniable and the chemistry between them felt like no other. And he wondered at what moment destiny or whatever the hell was out there, decided that this woman laying here in his arms would prove to capture him wholly.

Damon felt her stir under his touch. "Morning sleepyhead." He murmured and gently kissed the top of her head.

Elena lazily opened her eyes, the corners of her lips lifted into a warm smile. "Hi."

Soon enough she managed to grumble out of his hold and stretched out her arms, yawning. "What time is it?"

"7.."

It was plenty of time for both of them to get ready for work without having to rush. Sadly what felt like a Sunday morning really turned out to be Friday and that meant that a whole day of work was still ahead of them.

"We didn't do much sleeping last night huh." She pointed out with a grin, holding the duvet cover tightly against her chest.

"Sleepless nights with you are my favorite though." He winked at her and pulled her in for a quick kiss, before standing up in all his glory and grabbing underwear from the drawer.

Elena had to bite her lip in repression of all the dirty thoughts that came to her mind. She wanted him badly - on top, underneath, behind her, she didn't mind. She knew that she was practically gaping, but who could blame her when the view was as breathtaking as Damon. He was basically the epitome of sex on legs.

"Like what you see?" He arched his brow suggestively.

She grinned and threw a pillow at his face.

"I do now."

The pillow brushed the side of his head and he grinned at his effort to dodge it. "Oh you are gonna get it."

X x x

Elena had a quick shower and once she had managed to locate each article of her clothing carelessly laying around in Damon's apartment, she finally got dressed.

"You ready to leave?" She questioned grabbing the coat off the hanger.

Damon reached for his car keys and slid his phone into the pocket inside his suit jacket. "I am, if you are."

She spared him a brief glance, like she hadn't been gawking at him for the past 10 minutes, and grimaced. In comparison to Damon she looked like sleep has effectively avoided her and no such a thing as a mirror ever existed. But it was hard to compete with Damon clad in a sleek navy suit, white crimson shirt and a matching tie to bring out the deep ocean of his eyes.

"Nope, need to head back to mine first." She replied defeated.

Damon chuckled and shut the front door behind them, as they headed towards the lift.

"You could keep some of your stuff at my place, might make things easier for the future." He mentioned casually.

Elena gave him a slightly panicked look.

He rolled his eyes. "Calm down, I'm not proposing or asking you to move in. Just saying that it would make sense with you sleeping over now and then."

She grinned. "I'm kidding. And yeah, that's not a bad idea."

He released a chuckle, assuming that this was some sort of a step forward for them.

"Did you drive here?" Damon checked around for her car as they reached the underground car park.

"Yep." She pointed in the opposite direction. "It was quite a hassle convincing your security to let me in."

He arched his brow smugly. "Oh yeah, George gave you trouble?"

"Well, let's just say that you may be getting a round of congratulations next time you see him."

"Now I'm curious." He drawled narrowing in his eyes on her.

"I may have told him that I'm your fiancée. The guy was stubborn as hell, and he still took my name and everything." She explained rolling her eyes. "I mean talk about interrogation, right?"

He wholeheartedly laughed at the confession, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Damn, maybe I should invest in a personal bodyguard.."

Elena gave him a playful slap on the arm, giggling along.

"So, that's me." She gestured the vehicle to her left.

Damon nodded in acknowledgment, waiting as she opened the door and tossed her belongings onto the passenger. She did a little twirl on her feet to face him again, and he moved closer placing both hands on the curves of her hips. Her body was pushed up against the car door.

"Are you free tonight?" He bit his lip in anticipation.

Elena briefly furrowed her brows, contemplating the day ahead. "I could pull some strings." She replied teasingly, as he lowered his face to kiss her.

Damon placed one hand sternly on the door in support of his weight, before deepening the kiss.

"I want you to come with me to a work event." He propositioned breathless as they pulled away.

"Tonight?" She sounded genuinely surprised. Damon simply nodded in answer to her question.

* * *

Losing him was not an option. Letting go of all the bullshit from the past? Very much recommended. A weight has been lifted off her shoulders, and the intense feeling of happiness ravished through Elena since she finally opened up. Yeah, she had yet to be completely honest with him, and she would eventually get around to it, but for once it just felt good to let herself feel.

Truthfully she wasn't nervous about tonight. She already met the parents, nearly naked at that, so what the hell. Tonight was the perfect opportunity to make a good _second_ impression, those still count, right? Aside from his parents who were founders of the company, pretty much everyone else would be there. That also didn't scare her - networking and attending business events was second nature to her. After all being a good lawyer involved being able to convey yourself in the best light possible, and having everyone eat from the palm of your hand. _That_ Elena Gilbert could do exceptionally well. She bit her lip, smiling to herself.

"Someone's in a good mood."

Rose's cheerful voice burst through her bubble and pulled her back to reality - back to work, to be exact. The perky brunette sat in front of her desk with a pen dangling from her mouth and a pile of documents invading all the available space. Aside from being the perfect assistant, she also belonged to Elena's close friends.

Elena walked through the reception and reached for a bundle of documents, resting one hand on the desk and the other on her hip, smiling.

"I guess you could say that."

"Is there someone who might be responsible for that?" Rose drawled excitedly and leaned in towards Elena.

"Perhaps. Would that be so crazy?" She laughed in response.

Rose's mouth fell wide open. "You're shitting me. It's about damn time Elena!" She sounded generally happy for her.

"It hasn't been that long, you know." She countered. "Oh don't give me that look, I guess it has been a while."

"You look happy." Rose admitted with a smile.

"I am." Elena blushed.

"I think you're just about to become even more happy." She winked at her and gestured towards Elena's office.

Elena responded with a confused face.

"Is someone in there?" She whispered intrigued.

Rose shook her head laughing. "I'm not saying anything. Go and have a look for yourself."

Elena contemplated on it before finally placing one hand on the doorknob and turning it hesitantly. As she stepped inside, her gaze was instantly drawn to the bouquet of yellow tulips standing proud and tall in a glass vase. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor echoed as she made her way over to her desk.

" _I believe yellow is your favorite."_

Elena shook her head smiling. How did he even know? She had never been the romantic type, flowers and chocolates were simply not her thing. But there was something about getting the flowers from Damon that made them that much more special.

"He's a keeper if you ask me." Rose offered her input as she stood leaning against the door frame.

"Oh please don't ever mention that to him, his ego will explode." She rolled her eyes at the thought. He knew all too well what package kind of package he was offering - and it was dangerously good.

Elena lowered her voice before building up the courage to ask. "So, did Elijah..?"

"See the delivery guy breaking a sweat carrying this big ass bouquet and walking up the stairs at the same time? Yep."

She cringed. "Was he-"

"Pissed off and sporting that typical grimace of his? Totally." Rose added casually, since she had worked there for the past three years she had gotten to know almost everything about each of them. "Minus the feet stumping and all."

Elena chuckled imagining the scene in her head - she still felt bad about Elijah and hurting his feelings, but it didn't mean that the scene painting in her head wasn't funny.

"I guess he'd find out one way or another."

"Exactly. He's a grown up, so it's about time he learns how to act like one." Rose offered cheerily. "Here, you forgot the Aldridge Contracts." She dropped the files on her desk.

"Thanks Rose. You're the best."

"Remember that when it's time for my promotion." She said jokingly and laughed before leaving Elena's office.

At 28 - Elena knew that all these years ago she had loved Elijah and that it was real, while it lasted. But he wasn't what she needed. And until she had met Damon, she could never pinpoint what exactly changed in her that made her throw away the life that they built together.

She ruffled through the very bottom draw and amidst the mess that was strongly present, she pulled out an old photo. After they broke up Elijah made sure to bring up any reminders of how happy they were together, in a pretense of bringing over the stuff that she'd left at his place. And here they were, at dinner celebrating Bonnie getting a new job - the whole group was there and Caroline, going completely unnoticed, took a photo of them laughing, Elena comfortably settled on his lap and his arms loosely wrapped around her waist.

Things were so simple back then. They were so carefree and happy, living in the moment. They were yet to be tainted by the heartbreak and angst, and looking at it from this perspective was terrifying. Knowing what was around the corner, but in no way being able to overcome it or do things differently. Sometimes things in life didn't add up the way they should, as much as people try to act rational and do what feels right - it doesn't always turn out the right way.

Sometimes you wake up and you're no longer the person that you were yesterday. For whatever reason, the hopes and dreams deeply settled within you undergo a change, you feel differently about them. Inevitably, this is where heartbreak starts.

Perhaps in that captured moment they were at their happiest, but now she was a completely different person. She was no longer in love with him and it was time to close that chapter.

* * *

"Elena!"

She turned at the mention of her name to meet with the sight of Elijah running up to her. Judging by the slightly heaving chest he must have been running for quite a while.

"Is everything okay?" She questioned genuinely confused. His hair was out of place, the top button was undone, the tie was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you done for the day?"

"Yeah, I have an event to attend so I'm heading out a bit early. What happened?"

His eyes were dead set on Elena, and she could tell that there were a thousand thoughts speeding through his head right now. He seemed agitated and confused at the same time. Whatever it was that he wanted to say couldn't be good.

"Why him?"

He sounded defeated. She didn't realize that they were going to have this conversation so soon, and if it was up to Elena this talk would never take place. It would only be pouring salt into open wounds, wounds that she couldn't heal.

"Elijah.."

He shook his head knowing that all he was going to get was yet another excuse. "What does he have that I don't, Elena? Why does he get to be with you and I don't?"

"There's nothing that I can say that will make this easier for you. I don't want to hurt you.." She countered silently.

"Are you in love with him?" He finally demanded.

"That's not the point Elijah. We were over long before Damon came into the picture. Honestly, I don't have time for this right now."

"You're always avoiding me, Elena. When is it ever the right time with you?" He scorned. "You're not ready to get married, you're not ready to have a baby. You're not ready to settle down."

She shook her head with a sigh, and turned her back to him, too eager to walk away. "This isn't the place to talk about it. I've moved on and so should you."

He grabbed her arm halting any movement. "And you're moving on with the Salvatore guy? Are you gonna leave him high and dry like you did me, once you get bored?"

Elena's jaw clenched at his words. He was basically screaming at her in a parking lot, outside their office, with people walking around. She couldn't recall the last time she'd seen him so furious, Elijah just wasn't one to lose control.

"Leave Damon out of it." She forcefully pulled her away from him. "I didn't ask you to look out for me or care for me, I'm not playing a game with you. I'm simply done with you, why can't you accept that?"

"You were supposed to be the mother of my child, you will always matter to me Elena - I can't just leave and act like you mean nothing to me!" He spat out angrily.

"Yeah, I _was_ going to be. I'm not. Why are you still holding onto that?! It's over Elijah, that life is long gone."

"Did you just forget that our chil-"

She stared up at him with fury building up in her eyes. "Don't even go there. _You_ of all the people should know best how I struggled to cope with everything. You were there. Don't you dare use that against me."

"Well how can you blame me when you've never even blinked before making that decision. The baby was gone and the next thing I know is that you're leaving."

"I wanted to leave you before I got pregnant!" She shouted. "I knew I didn't love you anymore. I tried to give us a chance for the baby and for what we once had, but we know all that went to hell. I screwed up big time and probably more than once. But leaving you was not a 's your dose of truth."

She yelled out all that she'd wanted to say to him, but never had the courage to. If it made her look and sound like a bitch, then so be it. She never said that the things she felt or had done were right, hell the past few years and months have shown for nothing but mistakes. But she owed him that much.

Her form was tense and her voice still heightened, as she continued. "I was at the weakest point and you begged me to stay, you wanted that baby so badly, you wanted that picture perfect family so badly that you were literally oblivious to our problems and how things really were."

He groaned and took a daring step towards her. "What problems? Every couple goes through a rough patch Elena, and you gave up the moment things got a bit complicated!" He pointed his finger at her. "You don't just fall out of love, it's not that simple."

She shook her head in disbelief. "So I'm ending it right now Elijah. I don't want to speak about this ever again and I sure as hell don't want you to ruin what I have with Damon."

Elena hurried off to the car, desperately trying to stop the tears from flowing. It was of no use, as she felt the first tear drop trail it's way down her face. With shaky hands she grumbled out the keys from her purse and quickly got into the car.

The minute Elena's body sank into the car seat all the self control collapsed and she began to sob. She rested her forearms on the steering wheel and lowered her head, tears spilling uncontrollably and the mascara already smudging.

This is why she couldn't talk about what happened. Elena never knew how to deal with the overbearing pain that came with losing the baby and the guilt that she had felt for it. In her eyes she was responsible for all the wrongdoing, she was too stubborn and didn't listen to the warnings. She never wanted the baby in the first place. Was it some form of a punishment? A cruel twist of fate? Elena could never figure it out, but in those darkest and loneliest moments she often blamed herself.

* * *

They pulled up to the venue at 6pm, the guests would start arriving sometime soon and it was only professional that Damon would show up before them. They walked into the building and Damon swiftly got them past security, his face was practically a business card, so security simply greeted the pair to acknowledge their presence.

Tonight, despite everything, standing here right beside him felt so right. She couldn't feel more comfortable in his presence. Whenever it was just the two of them Elena felt like a different person, like all the baggage from her past didn't exist. He was easily the fresh breeze of air that she had been starved of for too long.

"You okay?" Damon's thumb stroked over her knuckle.

She nodded and blew out a small sigh. "Yeah, it's just been long a day."

A long day was an understatement, more like a trip to hell and back.

Damon studied her reaction for a little while before speaking up softly. "I promise to get us out of here as soon as possible, sounds good?"

Elena turned to face him and caught the blue of his eyes staring right back at her. "It's fine. This night is about you, and I'm happy to be here with you. No need to rush." She offered him a genuine smile and hoped that he wouldn't read too much into her bad mood.

She hated to bring up her problems and dull him down with her - especially on a night that was important to him. She was surprised that she had somehow managed to find the strength to pull herself together and stop dwelling on the crap that was going on in her head. This could still be a good night.

The corner of his lip curved into a lazy smile, as he took her face into his hands and whispered. "One word and we're out of here." He connected their lips in a brief kiss.

The elevator doors slid open and they instantly pulled away. Elena confidently slid her hand into his and followed Damon's lead, ready to make things as official as they had ever been.

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much for the awesome reviews and the constant follows/favs this story keeps receiving. You all are amazing! I hope you enjoy this one. Next chapter will pick up from the event, so don't worry - this not be left untouched. I'm trying to respond to all of the comments, it might take a while though. Once again thank you so much! x


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Elena, it's so good to see you again!" Lily Salvatore pulled Elena into a warm embrace the instant that she saw her.

Such warmth always emanated from Lily that it was almost impossible not to like her. She clearly had a huge heart for her boys - irrespective of their age and life choices, she stood behind them like a rock. It was obvious that from what little she knew about Elena and Damon, she was truly happy that they had found each other.

"I'm happy to be here. You look lovely!" Elena complimented - Lily's chocolate colored hair was pinned back in an elegant up-do, and she wore a cream fitted dress. It was classy and fit for the occasion - clearly the fashion industry took all the Salvatore's up in a swirl.

Elena smiled nervously as she considered her own outfit, hoping that it would hold the stakes up and not let her down, like it did last time. The getting ready element certainly didn't go down as originally planned, but she couldn't let the emotions overwhelm her every single time. It was as good of an occasion as any to push past the weakness and finally take full control.

She settled on a sleek black jumpsuit with a low cut 'V' that allowed for a tasteful sneak peak of the cleavage and bare shoulders. This was paired with black open-toe heels, a deep red lip and hair cascading down her shoulders in loose curls. Every bad mood or bad day called for every vow of confidence available.

"Thank you, sweetie, so do you." Lily mentioned with a gentle squeeze of Elena's bare shoulder. "Now I know that dinner didn't quite work out last time, but I do hope to have you around sometime soon."

"I'd love to. I'm sorry that I couldn't make it last time."

"Oh no need to apologies Elena. We did kind of jump at the opportunity and didn't think that we could come across as too strong." She leaned in a little closer to Elena before continuing, "As you can imagine Damon was a little angry with us about it."

Once again Elena cursed herself for being the one to blame for his reaction. "He was?"

"Totally." Lily waved her hand dismissively, not bothered by it at all. "He really didn't want us to scare you off I guess. From those two times that you had seen me, you probably think that I'm crazy. And it's true, I am crazy - crazy about my boys, my job, my life. But you must know in the 30 years of his life Damon never introduced anyone as his girlfriend." She paused for a while and squinted as if she was contemplating something. "Well, there was that Andie girl, but I considered that to be some kind of an 'approaching 30 crises. So, when it happened, it was inevitable that I'd absolutely love to know everything about the girl who stole my son's heart."

Elena giggled softly at Lily's confession. She was so sincere and honestly one of those days she hoped to become a woman like her. So full of love and positivism that it was practically contagious, in the best kind of way. Madly in love with the life that she had made for herself and the man that she chose to hold her hand throughout everything. Despite everything, to continue to flourish and grow together was the goal.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you probably haven't had that heart to heart conversation yet." Lily pointed out timidly, she would often outdo herself without remotely trying to. "But I know Damon better than he knows himself, so mark my words."

"I guess, it's just all so new." She responded softly, not wanting to dive any further into this conversation with his mom. As lovely as she was, this was a talk they were yet to have between the two of them. "But you are right, Damon is an amazing man. You did a great job raising him, Lily."

"Oh, and what one hell of a job that was." She laughed at the memory of Damon in his younger years. "To think how many broken-hearted girls walked out of my house with tears streaming down their faces - all because he turned them away. This was all in high school. Whilst Damon was the one who never developed real feelings for anyone, Stefan fell in love with almost every damn girl that smiled at that boy." Lily rolled her eyes.

"And strangely enough, I must tell you, you look just like Stefan's ex-girlfriend - Katherine." She pointed out intrigued. "That one really shattered him. I think it's safe to say that everyone in our family hopes that our paths will never cross again, especially Damon."

Elena furrowed her brows in confusion, and a slight distaste at the fact that she reminded them of someone that they clearly did not like.

"Why does Damon hate her?"

Lily looked at her with a little puzzled expression, like she hadn't given her words much thought.

"Well, he was always very protective of Stefan - they might have fought like a cat and mouse, but they'd jump into fire for one another." She continued unsurely, meanwhile taking a glass of champagne from the waiter. "And Katherine wrecked him, he was a shell of a person once she was done with him. So naturally Damon despised her for what she did to Stefan."

"Oh, right. She sounds like a blast, huh." Elena felt a little baffled, Damon wasn't one to share many stories from the past and she couldn't help but feel a little out of the circle. She took a long-needed sip of champagne, hoping to brush away the awkward pause.

She couldn't exactly complain though, it's not like Damon had the front row seat in all her drama.

"Anyway, that's probably for Damon to tell you one of these days. Am I right in thinking that you haven't met our Stefan yet?" She smiled in anticipation.

"No, but Damon mentioned that he would be here tonight."

Her eyes scoured the room full of elegantly dressed people and inevitably searched for the blue-eyed oasis that she craved to have by her side. It's not that she felt out of place or lonely, Damon's presence just somehow made everything right. He was reluctant in leaving her but was dragged away by one of the stakeholders to have a conversation.

"Who is going to be here tonight?" Damon echoed, swiping one hand down Elena's shoulder before settling it on her waist. She looked over her shoulder relieved to have him back and smiled, in turn to which he pecked her nose.

Lily adoringly observed the scene playing in front of her and couldn't contain the happiness at the fact that finally great things were happening for Damon. Whilst it was obvious that Damon was handsome and quite a catch for any girl out there, he struggled to stay in a committed relationship. For years Lily overlooked the fact that the girls he surrounded himself with were nothing but a game, and she tried to understand it. He was young, times have changed - but ever so often it bugged Damon's parents, or more so on Lily - that at his age they already had two sons and have been married for several years. Giuseppe wasn't all that worried - after all Damon had his priorities set straight, the business was thriving, and both of his sons were excelling in their careers. He believed that love would find him sooner or later, it always did.

"Your brother. I heard that the beautiful Elena hasn't met him yet. Have you seen him around?"

Damon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, keeping Elena close to his body. "Not yet. He is probably on his way. Mom, we'll catch you around in a bit okay?"

"Of course, kids, you two have fun." Lily gave them a quick wave before walking off to greet one of the guests. Damon instantly intertwined his hand with Elena's and gestured at her to follow in his direction.

"I hope that she was easy on you." He mentioned once they were no longer in front of all the roaming eyes.

"She is certainly forthcoming." Elena admitted with a small chuckle. "But I love talking to her, you're lucky to have a mom like her."

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome." He added in agreement, and then reached to stroke her cheek. "Recently I've noticed that I've gotten quite lucky with the women in my life."

"Mm, and how many of us are there?" She laughed leaning into his touch.

His lips stretched into a lazy smile, as he observed her face tentatively. "It's not about the quantity - it's all about the quality, baby."

She giggled in response and loosely wrapped her arms around his neck. They were standing in the corner of the room, so she hoped that nobody would spot them in their private little moment. She was never an advocate of PDA, but it was too damn hard to stay away from him. There was no reason for them to act like strangers. But then again, she had to admit that throwing herself at him in the middle of the room wouldn't go down well with the whole work event thing.

"You always know what to say."

"You make it come out." He sighed almost dreamily, and comfortably placed his hands on the lower of her back. "I don't even have to try."

He could feel the heat radiating from her body and the delicate outline of her panties cupping her perky bottom, which drove him insane. She was the most beautiful woman to him, here in this room and everywhere else he went - his eyes did not search any further. She would always outdo every woman out there.

But no matter how breath-taking she looked in full makeup and clothes that fit her like second skin, the one thing he loved the most was being able to see her in the most natural form. With a bare face, hair in a messy bun and wearing randomly paired shorts with a cute white tee. In these moments she was truly herself - there was no facade and he felt honored to be able to witness that. Out of all people, she chose to open up around Damon.

It was always the small things with Elena that meant the most. Each glance in his direction, each kiss, each touch uncovered so much about how she felt. Perhaps even more than she could ever express through words. And he could happily live like that - being fed the sweet kisses and stolen moments that were just for the two of them to share. Suddenly that felt more real than anything else he had ever felt in his entire life.

"I don't want to spoil the moment, but how about we find that brother of yours, so that we can go home and focus on some other things?" She drawled playing with the end of his sleek black tie.

Damon's face lit up at the mention of home - and it wasn't due the sexual innuendo. Whatever home really was- his or her place, it was a common ground that for one snap of a moment felt _theirs_.

"I really want to kiss you right now." He finally breathed out.

"Right here?"

"Yes."

"So do it."

Elena whispered, defeated. But it would be a lie to say that she wasn't just as desperate to feel his lips on hers. She was hanging on a thread to begin with, and right now there was no force on this earth that could pull her away from him. No amount of self-restraint would be enough to refuse him.

Unbeknownst to the pair, who were completely oblivious to their surroundings, an eager set of eyes glared at them from across the room. Andie's hand clutched onto the glass and her jaw clenched at the sight - and if life was a cartoon, there would be steam coming out of her ears. She came here tonight, once again, with the hope that they could talk things out on a more neutral ground. Ever since Damon had been avoiding Andie like she was the plague, catching him anywhere outside of work was almost impossible. To her disappointment she quickly came to realize that if Damon had set his mind on something, there was almost always no coming back.

Which was the exact same reason for Andie's current anguish. If Damon brought that new little girlfriend of his to a work event and had her tongue down his throat without a care - things were serious. And that was her worst nightmare, because he wasn't the guy to settle and get involved with serious relationships. Yet here they were proving her wrong.

"If only looks could kill." Sarah chuckled and bit into a strawberry covered in dark chocolate.

"What?" Andie snapped and gave the brunette a side eye.

Sarah looked over at Damon and then back at Andie, clearly amused by the situation. She leaned against the table and continued.

"Jealousy doesn't look good on you Andie."

She scuffed and turned around looking at the buffet table and scouring the treats. "Jealous of that little tag along? Please. Give him a little more time and he'll come running from the Oh-so-perfect Miss Lawyer."

"How do you know that she's a lawyer?"

Andie rolled her eyes and stared her down like the question was nothing but redundant. "I did my research. I need to know my competition."

"You know, you sound a tad crazy right now." Sarah admitted a little shocked - everyone at work knew the lengths that Andie went to in order to catch just a glimpse of Damon's attention, but it was obvious that he was never all that into her.

In fact, most of the employees found it hard to believe that she still hadn't been fired for her blatant over-stepping of boundaries. Damon was the best boss that they could have asked for – sure, plenty of female employees had tried and miserably failed to seduce him. He had a few strict rules that he followed and the number one was to never get involved with an employee on any sort intimate level. Andie tried insufferably to change that and by some mystery luck it finally worked out for her – even if it was for just a couple of weeks. It was safe to say that Damon regretted it more than anything.

Andie snarked at the continued judgement from Sarah, she wasn't stupid, she knew what the whole company was saying behind her back. "Look, I know what Damon and I had, and it was good. He can't replace me with some mediocre slut who's past is a little more than questionable. Damon deserves better."

"All I'm saying is that you sound a little desperate. Just look at him, I've never seen him this happy before. I don't think it's your call to decide who he should or shouldn't be with." She chided her, a little lost for words at how ridiculous Andie came across.

"Whatever."

The blonde sighed at the nagging before walking away with a strong sway of the hips. She didn't need the advice of a petty junior assistant, or anyone's for the matter of fact. Damon was going to be hers, whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Elena gently pressed her lips together to even out the freshly applied layer of lipstick before leaning away from the mirror and studying her reflection one last time. The evening was going far better than she had expected it to, and she had to admit that Damon's family were an amazing bunch of people. They did everything to make her feel welcome and like she was a part of their family, which was really all that she could ask for.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Elena's eyes met with the blonde standing in the doorway with a cold expression, staring her up and down. The intruding gaze felt familiar, as she could have sworn that someone had been observing her every move all evening.

"Damon's secretary, right? What a surprise." Certainly not a pleasant one – she faked a smile and looked right her. Elena Gilbert did not get intimated.

"Among _other_ things." Andie glared at her. "Must say, I didn't think he'd keep you around this long."

"Oh sweetie, did you come here for advice on how to keep a man? You know, I'd love to share but I really don't have the time. Damon's waiting on me." Elena remarked amused at the pure excuse of an interrogation. She hated her guts, but Andie didn't need to know that.

"What, you think that he's not going to get bored of you? Damon and I had something special and you can't make him forget that." She stalked closer to her not breaking the eye contact.

"Really, are you sure it was _that_ special? Because he hasn't said a word about you." Elena pretended to contemplate on it before shaking her head. "Look, I get that you're still stuck on Damon and clearly have high, and delusional hopes of getting back together with him. To make it quick for you, it's not going to happen."

"You're stepping on very thin ice." She hissed through gritted teeth. "So, I suggest that you back off and leave Damon alone, before it's too late."

"Are you threatening me?" Elena released a humorless laugh. "Damon's not an object of your possession, and if he chooses to be with me then I'll stick around for as long as he wants me to. So, _I_ suggest that you stick your nose out of my business."

She brushed past Andie's shoulder and reached to twist the doorknob.

"Mark my words, Elena." She raised her voice and threatened. "He'll be mine again."

Elena shook her head in pure shock and confusion at how the situation escalated but decided to walk on without engaging in it any further. Damon had mentioned that Andie was crazy, but she had pinned her relentlessness on being just a regular broken-hearted girl.

After-all, she couldn't imagine having to move on from a guy like Damon, but what she witnessed a few seconds ago was another level of insanity. Whilst she had managed to remain calm for the most part, her insides were raging, and her heart was pounding way too hard for its own good. And for some reason, she had a very unsettling feeling about it in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

"Ah, finally some fresh air." Damon took in a deep breath before shortly releasing it, as they stepped outside of the car. He used the opportunity to stretch out his limbs and loosen the tie.

They were finally able to leave the party at around 10, after Elena had been swarmed with all the members of his family and most of the employees. It was safe to say that everyone who encountered Elena had nothing but good things to say about her, which made Damon immensely proud.

Elena giggled and bent down to remove her heels, relieving her tired feet.

"Anyway, what are we doing here? I thought that we're going back to mine, or yours." She asked intrigued and walked up to him with a big smile.

Damon gently pushed her back and hopped her up on the hood of his Chevy Camaro. "Someone's eager to get into my pants." He grinned and secured his hands around her small waist.

Elena's cheeks heated up in embarrassment. "Hey, if you're not going to be nice about it then I can totally take the offer off the table." She admitted with a small laugh.

"Oh, like you're going to say no to _this._ " He chuckled and ran his finger down her exposed arm, causing a shiver to run down her body. "By the way, I love the fact that you're so straight forward. It's pretty damn hot." He kissed her earlobe before moving further down her neck. "So, don't ever feel embarrassed. Not with me."

She bit down on her bottom lip to submerge an oncoming moan. "I love how you set everything in me on fire. I don't think I'll ever get enough off you."

He paused to look at her and cupped her small face with both hands. "Me too, baby. I can't even begin to describe the things that you do to me." He kissed her with all that he had – it was hot and hungry, exactly how they both craved it.

Elena desperately tried to press her body closer to his, as he felt her erect nipples peaking through the thin material and rubbing against his chest. He continued to press hot kisses against her mouth and she drowned in the sensation, dying for Damon to fill every void and own her in all ways possible. She sneaked one hand under his shirt desperate to feel his skin and slowly begin to reach for the belt of his pants.

"Fuck, I swear I want nothing else but to take you right here..." He rasped between the kisses, and she murmured in agreement. "But I need to show you something first."

"Show me what?" She replied breathlessly and still lost in haze.

"Follow me. I promise, we'll finish this off as soon as we're done here." He kissed her one last time and helped her off the hood.

"You better deliver, Mr." She smiled and grabbed his hand, ready to follow him wherever.

They walked out of the underground car-park and Damon stopped as they reached the lift. The doors slid open and they stepped in, as Damon pressed the button for the highest floor and they waited in silence, chests still heaving from their passionate moment.

"Wow, this is beautiful." Elena whispered mesmerized by the view. The panoramic lift gave them all the freedom to observe the beauty of New York City at night, paired in contrast with a sky full of stars.

Damon wrapped his arms around her from behind and settled his face in the crook of her neck. The sweet floral notes of her perfume instantly flooded his senses and a satisfied sigh escaped his lips. "It really is." He agreed, but he was mesmerized by a whole different view.

Elena looked at him over her shoulder and smiled. "Thank you for this."

"Babe, I'm not finished yet." He grinned and released her from his hold as the lift doors slid open. He placed his hand at the lower of her back and guided her out.

They had to walk up an extra flight of stairs, after which Damon pulled out a card from his pocket and swiped it to unlock the door. A small green light began to flash, and Damon twisted the doorknob, gesturing at Elena to walk through first as he held it open.

Elena walked out greeted with a cold breeze of air and a whole naked sky above her. The whole of the rooftop was decorated with rose buds scattered all over the ground, glass lanterns situated in each corner giving out a dim-warm light, and a large blue knitted blanket was spread out in the middle. There was a tightly packed picnic basket sitting on the blanket, with one yellow rose tied to its handle with a red bow.

"Damon…"

"Do you like it?" He asked nervously. It took him a few days of planning and a lot of help from other people, but he really wanted to surprise her.

Elena turned around to face him, her eyes glistened with tears and he really started doubting himself.

"I just wanted to do something nice for you, Elena, I'm not proposing or anything. I thou-"

She silenced him by pressing her finger to his lips. "Damon, no one has ever done anything like this for me before. It's breath-taking."

He relaxed a little and smiled back at her.

"Yeah, you really like it?

"I love it." She corrected him. "Now come here and kiss me."

And he did as she requested, this time without any interruptions.

* * *

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it - especially Damon&Elena interactions. I want to thank you all so much for your comments for the previous chapter, they blew me away! It's so lovely reading all of your nice words and I really appreciate your continued support. It means the world. I am sorry for the delay in uploading this chapter, I really am trying to get them out as soon as possible. Have a great upcoming week everyone and stay tuned for the next chapter xx


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hi everyone! I can't believe i'm updating a week later, as this almost never happens! I've had such amazing feedback for the last chapters and I really wanted to get this out asap. I hope you like it, it's a little bit of a different chapter. We'll revisit the party again in the next chapter,as this is over 5000 words and I couldn't fit everything in. The next few chapters are going to be packed with content, so this one was a bit slower and not as much happened. But i hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for your reviews! x**

 **Chapter 16**

"Damon, come on, we're going to be late!"

Elena shouted from the bedroom as she frantically ran around gathering the last few things that she needed to pack for the long-dreaded trip.

Today was the day of Emma's 2nd birthday party and the stress had already reached its highest peak. The day came quicker than Elena had expected it to, so many things had changed since she had asked Damon to attend it with her. Some mere two months ago Damon was supposed to be the fake boyfriend that would stall her mom away and finally get her family off her back. Today? He was very much a real boyfriend, although she didn't like the word 'boyfriend' – that came off so basic and shallow.

Damon was… her man, a partner. The bond that they shared was special. The mere thought of that released a wave of butterflies in Elena's tummy, and dangerously enough she allowed it and reveled in it. Admittedly, the pace that their relationship evolved at scared her a little. She threw away all caution with the wind and let herself dive into everything without analyzing the little details. Each day she found herself drowning deeper and with that came very little care for what will happen next or what people will say.

But there was also that little reminder in the back of her mind that she was yet to share her darkest secrets with the man that she no longer imagined her life without. The weight of those suddenly felt that much heavier, and that much scarier to reveal. At the early stage of their friendship Elena risked being stuck with the 'what ifs', whereas now there was a genuine risk of losing Damon knowing what it's like to be with him.

"Relax, we'll make it in time." He mused in a good mood.

Damon strolled out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair still dripping a little. Elena had settled on the fact that she would always be hot and bothered around him but knowing that the next 24 hours would give them virtually zero possibilities of sharing a moment or two seriously bummed her out.

"Our flight leaves in like 3 hours, and I might as well tell you now that my mom will never forgive me, or you for that matter, if we miss it." She pointed out, putting on a pair of sneakers.

Damon rolled his eyes a little, sensing that she's getting more nervous by the minute. "Lena, just give me 5 minutes and I'll be ready. How about you call the cab and calm down, hm?"

He kissed her on the forehead, brushing away the hair from her face. "And quit pouting. This is your niece's birthday party, not a funereal."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who's going to be grilled by my mom."

"I'm not?" He raised his brow. "I may not have much relationship experience, but I'm pretty sure that I'm the one who should be getting grilled at the first meeting."

"Well sure, maybe by my dad or my brother. I don't really know how my mom is going to react… she's different."

Elena hated to admit it, but she had a strong suspicion that Miranda would not be a fan of Damon. She was dead set on Elijah being her son-in-law, and dead set on bringing the two back together. Damon would just be an obstacle getting in the way of her dreams, and Elena knew more than anyone how stubborn her mom could get.

"Before you meet her, I guess I should tell you that she's most certainly not going to like you." She pondered before continuing. "But please don't take it personally, she just never got over that fact that I left Elijah. I know that she's been waiting for us to get back together."

"So now I'll be the one who's going to be in the way of that?"

Damon frowned at the information. He was jealous of the guy whether the feeling was justified or not. He knew that he could trust Elena when she reassured him that there were no unresolved feelings for her ex-fiancé, but he had no ounce of trust for the man who would do anything to get her back. Now knowing that her parents wanted her to be with Elijah, set his blood to boil.

"I guess that's one way to see it."

Elena saw the pained expression on his face, and internally cursed herself for not bringing up the subject earlier. He should have had more time to come to terms with how dysfunctional her family was.

"I'm sorry for dropping this on you like that. I just want you to know that I don't care what my mom says or thinks, I want to be with you." She got up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

"It's not your fault Elena, I get it." He said with a sigh, "What bothers me is that he is still a big part of your life."

"You know that I don't want anything to do with him."

"But he sure as hell wants everything to do with you." He pointed out bitterly, pulling away from her.

"Damon don't be like that." She shook her head in rejection. "I live with the fact that your ex-girlfriend who is constantly obsessing over you, literally works right outside of your door."

"She never meant anything to me." He countered frustrated, Elena had a way of brushing things off as if they were nothing but turning the cat upside down wasn't going to work this time. "You can't compare some girl that I screwed a couple of times to the man that was going to be your husband. I mean, fuck Elena, that really means something."

Damon took a step back from her and walked away with a shake of the head. He was angry and though he would never admit it, a little insecure. Elena hasn't said much about their break up or their engagement, Damon always believed that the only reason to get married was for love. That's what his parents showed him, and it was something that he never considered for himself, because he didn't want it if it wasn't the real deal.

He reached for the navy shirt that he had set out for himself earlier and slipped it on, focusing on butting it up. He didn't mean to start a fight, but then again jealousy was never something that he had to deal with before. Whatever he wanted, he got it. This time things felt like they were dangerously slipping through his fingers.

Elena silently followed into the bedroom and sat on the corner of the bed, looking up at him nervously. The flight and getting to the airport on time now long gone to the back of her mind. His gaze found hers and he suddenly felt a wave of hatred for himself, for causing the saddened look on her face.

"I'm sorry." Damon broke the silence and sat down beside her. "It bothers me, and I can't help it."

She nodded and brushed her hand over his knee. "I want us to have a real relationship, and I don't want my past to get in the way of that."

"I want that too."

* * *

As expected the traffic was horrendous and the weather did them no favor either; the sky was dull and grey, and it had been raining all morning. Despite the circumstances, they still managed to turn up at JFK with some time to spare. With that in mind Damon went to buy them a coffee and

"I hope you'll have a good time, just don't let Miranda get to you." Caroline warned from the other line.

"Too late for that." Elena mused mainly to herself, but Care didn't fail to catch it.

"Oh god, what did you do now? This was supposed to be a nice weekend, which might I add hasn't even started yet, and you're already messing things up." The blonde teased rolling her eyes.

"Well I wanted to warn him that she won't be a fan, and that of course turned into a whole different conversation." She sighed fumbling with her passport and leaning against the suitcase. "But we're fine. He understands."

"Lena, honestly, he will stop being so understanding if you don't start being honest with him."

"I know. I'm going to tell him everything as soon as we get back." Elena reassured her friend, hoping to retain some of this courage when the time would inevitably come.

"You should." She said in agreement. "Sorry if I'm being grumpy, I've had Elijah sleeping on my couch for the past god knows how long. And that makes my sex life virtually non-existent. And you know how cranky I get when I can't get me some." She mumbled in frustration.

Elena snorted hearing the dilemma. "I swear you two have been together for an eternity, you're about to walk down the aisle together and you're still humping like two rabbits."

"Duh, what else is a relationship for." She exclaimed. "Is Damon failing to keep you occupied?"

"I'm very well cared for Care, thanks." Elena said quickly, diverting her thoughts from the topic. The next two days would be a horrible dry spell for them both, and honestly sex was just what she needed to take her mind off things. "Why is he sleeping over at yours anyway?" She asked confused. Elijah had a place of his own and it didn't make sense for him to ditch it.

"Because my fiancé doesn't have a backbone and lets Elijah treat us like a bed and breakfast?" Her response was filled with sarcasm, and obvious disapproval. "I get that they're brothers and all, but the past few nights he just drinks until he can barely walk and it's always Klaus that comes to his rescue."

"That's odd." She noted intrigued. "I can barely recall the times that I've seen him wasted."

"I know. I must admit the drunk Elijah is much more likable than the boring sober version. It's been going on for a week and I swear to God I'm a mere second from seriously doing something to him, so get ready to represent me in court."

Elena giggled. "Oh, I'm sure that the insanity card will work in your favor."

The girls chatted for another few minutes, in which Elena couldn't help but wonder if she was the cause of Elijah's sudden binge drinking. They had that dreadful conversation over a week ago, the day he found out about Elena and Damon being a couple... Drowning in alcohol seemed like a desperate call for help, and despite it no longer being her business, it worried her.

* * *

Damon safely placed their baggage in the trunk of the rented car, enjoying the last few moments that they had alone. The airport was around 40 minutes away from Elena's family home, so the journey wasn't quite over yet. But to his relief Alaric and Jenna had already arrived at the house the day before, so if all went to hell today his drinking buddy would be just around the corner.

He had a feeling that this would be one hell of a weekend and he was very much in a need of a drink at the mere thought. He checked his phone and groaned at the realization that it's not even 1 o'clock, too early to indulge in bourbon any time soon and certainly too big of a risk to get under Elena's skin. He read her expressions and though she could have denied it a thousand times, it was obvious that she was dreading this weekend just as much as he was.

It wasn't the vow of confidence that he needed, but he just had to trust his inner charm and its ability to never let him down. It always worked for him before, why should it be any different now?

"Here you go."

Elena's soothing voice brought him back to reality, as she walked up offering him a bottle of still water.

Not exactly the beverage that he was hoping for, but it would have to do.

"Thanks." He took it from her hand and turned to shut the trunk.

Damon joined her in the car and switched on the radio to help lighten the mood.

"Setting the mood, are we?" She teased with a smile.

He leaned in to capture her lips in a hungry kiss, grasping at the back of her head to pull her closer.

"How about we screw this whole thing, so I can have my way with you in the back of this car?"

He murmured in between the kisses, finding it damn impossible not to touch her.

She giggled as his lips trailed a path down her neck, tickling in the process.

"That does sound appealing." Especially to the aching core between her legs, it blew her mind how insatiable she had become with Damon. "But I doubt that they'll let me get away with ditching them."

She kissed him deeply one last time before letting go and ruffling her hand through his messy hair.

"Well, it was worth the try."

He chuckled.

* * *

The steel gates slid open upon receiving approval from the Gilbert's, and they slowly drove up to the front yard of the property. The four-bedroom house was built back before Elena was born, her grandparents on both sides of the family were quite wealthy and as a gift to the newlywed couple they bought the land for them to build their first house on. The rest was up to Grayson and Miranda, and over the years they had managed to build their dream home.

It was surprisingly overwhelming every time that Elena visited. Whilst the property and its surroundings were nothing short of beautiful; engulfed by neatly trimmed grass, a recently renovated driveway, a fish pond and exotic flowers greeting at the front door. It only served as a reminder of how materialistic Miranda was, and how much the exterior and the impression that it made on others prevailed above all.

"Are those name labels?"

Damon asked amused, stopping the car in its designated spot. Yes, the Gilbert's were that extra and made a spot for each guest that would be attending.

"Don't tell me I didn't warn you."

He laughed pulling the brakes and undoing his seat-belt, noticing that Elena hasn't moved an inch. "So, what? they're a little extra. Fine with me."

She gave him the side eye, and he continued in hope of making her a little less agitated. "I'm going to go on a limb and say that this weekend won't be such a big tragedy."

He gave her hand a small squeeze. Elena returned the smile and pecked him on the cheek, feeling grateful to have him with her.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I'm just nervous."

They simultaneously stepped out of the car, already being approached by Elena's father, Grayson.

"Finally, my little girl has arrived!" Grayson exclaimed proudly, walking up to the couple.

He immediately pulled Elena into a bear hug and kissed the top of her head, smiling from ear to ear. This reminded her of how much she liked spending time with her dad, who she was always much closer to.

"Not that little anymore."

She half laughed and pulled away. "You look good, dad. Have you finally stopped working all these crazy hours?"

"You know me, rest is for the weak." He joked before turning his attention to Damon, who just finished taking out their bags.

Elena smiled nervously before introducing the two. "Dad, this is Damon - my boyfriend."

Damon smiled at Grayson and stuck out his hand to greet him. "It's nice to meet you Mr Gilbert."

"Call me Grayson, if Elena brought you here then I trust her judgement." He shook his hand and grinned. "Good to meet you, Damon…?"

"Salvatore." He added.

" _The_ Salvatore?" Grayson repeated stunned.

Damon grinned, remembering that Elena mentioned her dad's appreciation for their suits on their first date. Funny how time flew by.

"My father is the founding Salvatore, but I am the managing director and CEO."

"I can't believe this. Your suits are my go-to for any and every occasion. In fact, I'll be wearing your piece for tonight. Elena, I can't believe you didn't tell me this before." He looked over at his daughter, who was stunned for a whole different reason. "This one is just like her mother, you talk to the woman for 30 minutes and she mentions everything but the good stuff."

Damon laughed, the tension finally left his body knowing that at least one of the parents found him tolerable. Elena observed the situation and lacked for any words, she didn't think that Grayson would be so open towards Damon. It was a positive surprise, but nevertheless she didn't quite understand it. Had her mother not given him the prep talk on hating every guy that wasn't her ex-fiancé?

"We are about to release our newest collection, in fact we had the opening party last week. I could certainly hook you up with one of the upcoming designs." Damon suggested, knowing he could use some points in his favor.

"That would be just fantastic." Grayson grinned at him and then at Elena, perhaps signalling his approval at her choice of the plus one. "Come on Damon, let's get you a drink. I had no idea how good this party would turn out."

Grayson patted him on the back, more than pleased with the outcome of their conversation. He was never distant or cold towards people, in fact most people gravitated towards him for the goodness and passion that he had for helping others. After all, being a cardiologist meant that he saved lives and gave rise to new hope for a better future for a lot of his patients. This career choice was never money driven, otherwise he wouldn't have lasted a day in it. But being married to Miranda had exposed him to her perspective of things, and this had an inevitable influence on Grayson's viewpoint.

"Guess I'll just drag these by myself." Elena groaned grasping the handles of the bag.

"Sorry baby, I'll take those." Damon quickly grabbed them out of her hand and they followed Grayson.

* * *

The room was modest, but nevertheless beautiful. It used to be Elena's bedroom when she was a teenager, but it has been renovated since then and most of her belongings were moved. The dark wooden furniture and plush grey carpets paired with milky-white walls made it seem more cosy but fresh. Their bags were placed by the king-size bed and a vase with fresh flowers had been placed on the nightstand.

They changed out of their travelling clothes and now stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, as Elena straightened the last few streaks of her hair and distractedly watched Damon fumbling with his tie. He looked extra handsome tonight wearing a navy suit and a deep black shirt that only added to his edginess and looked dangerously good with his raven black hair. He had the perfect mixture of the bad-boy aloof and a secret soft side that he would only show to a handful of people, which really made it that much more special.

"I like this dress."

Damon's eyes roamed her body up and down provocatively, or perhaps that's how she was translating his each move due to the constant state of arousal. He was suddenly standing behind her in very close proximity, she felt his warm breath tickling the back of her neck as he placed a chaste kiss on her bare shoulder.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She murmured in approval, his lips never losing contact with her skin.

"You look even better wearing nothing." He whispered into her ear, tracing one hand under her dress and giving her ass a playful squeeze.

A small gasp escaped her lips. "Damon, we can't." Yet her body was giving out completely different signals.

"We can't, or you don't want to?"

Damon gently nipped on her earlobe and skillfully moved the hand further up, causing Elena to spread her legs a little wider to allow him better access. Elena placed both hands on the counter for support, as she already felt her legs giving in and all the restraint being long gone. In turn, he slowly rubbed his thumb against the damp material of her panties and began to move it in a slow circular motion.

Elena moaned in response and arched her bottom against his crotch, in a desperate plea for more. She couldn't nor did she want to deny him.

* * *

The backyard was completely covered with pink and white balloons and a huge 'Happy Birthday' banner hung above the circular table filled with gifts for the birthday girl. The weather was far better than in New York with no clouds or winds in sight, so all the guests were now freely roaming outside and enjoying the cocktails prepared by the specially hired bartenders. Miranda ensured to make the party worth its while, and so far, things seemed to be going perfectly well.

"Elena, where's your friend?"

Miranda questioned wearily, holding a cocktail in her hand and observing her daughter. She didn't even try to hide her prejudice.

"His name is Damon, and he is my boyfriend, Mom." Elena pointed it out for what felt like a hundredth time. "He was just speaking with Ric, I'll go and get him."

"Okay then, your boyfriend." She corrected herself still unconvinced. "Jenna has mentioned some good things about him, so I guess everyone else is in on this too."

"Why can't you just believe that he is a good guy and that's why people are saying good things about him?"

Miranda released a small humorless laugh. "Elena, honey, your father gets on with everyone. But okay, bring him around and we shall see."

Elena released a heavy sigh and gestured at Damon to come over, as his eyes found hers from across the way. Everyone here already loved him, some more than others, and Miranda was not going to ruin a perfectly fine evening. She couldn't let her win every time.

Damon confidently made his way over to Elena and her mom, as she had warned him that she would need to have a conversation with Miranda beforehand, to smooth some things out. Judging by the looks on their faces and the heavy tension, the conversation hadn't gone down well. As he reached them Elena sent an apologetic look his way, clearly trying to warn him.

"Mom, this is Damon." Elena motioned at the two of them. "Damon, this is my mom."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Gilbert."

"It must be, Damon." Miranda's lips turned upwards into a small smile, as she took in Damon's appearance. "It's good to put a face to the name, Elena has mentioned that she is seeing someone new."

"Well, not that new."

"If you say so. My daughter likes to change her mind, so it's hard to keep up." Miranda remarked looking over at Elena.

"Really mom, you don't have it in you to be nice for just this one evening?" Elena frowned, disbelieving how openly rude she was.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to be a jab." She countered in a sweet voice. "It's nice to meet you, Damon. I hope that you will have a good rest of the evening. Now, excuse me, I have someone to attend to." She faked a smile and left the two behind.

Damon scratched the back of his head, baffled at the interaction and feeling bad for Elena. She warned him, and unfortunately, she was right – Miranda hated his guts and she didn't need to waste time on making unnecessary conversations. If he wasn't Elijah, he simply wasn't good enough.

Elena turned to face Damon and put her hand on his chest. "Damon, I'm so sorry about her. I really hoped that she wouldn't pull off something like that."

"Hey, it's not your fault." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. "We'll make it work, Elena. I promise."

She hid her face in his chest and melted into his embrace. "Thank you." She whispered.

* * *

With Miranda being gone and taking care of the rest of the party, Elena had tried to put the encounter behind her for the night and focus on the whole point and star of the day – Emma. Grayson had taken Damon and Alaric under his wing for some time, so Elena had some time to catch up with Jeremy.

"There's my baby girl!" Elena smiled brightly upon seeing her little niece. She instantly gathered the toddler in her arms and hugged her tightly.

"Who's a gorgeous little princess?"

Emma giggled at Elena and her cheeks flushed up a little at the amount of unfamiliar faces surrounding her. She hid her face in the crook of Elena's neck shielding away from the attention.

"Give her a few minutes and she'll get her edge back." Jeremy chuckled, he was more than glad to have his sister back.

"Yeah, wonder who she got that from." Elena gave him the look and laughed.

"Yeah, not gonna argue with you on that one." He laughed and took the opportunity to speak with Elena as they managed to get a few minutes alone.

"So, you've been together for long?" He asked, as they walked out into the other side of the backyard.

"A few months. Don't you like him?" She asked nervously. Having support in Jeremy was fundamental for Elena, they always had each other's back. And this time was no different, she needed him to be on her side.

He lifted his hands in a defeated manner. "Lena, chill. I'm not mom. I just want to make sure that you're being cautious, I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm happy, and I haven't felt that way for a long time." She replied with honesty.

"I must admit, I've never seen you like this before." He observed. "You guys are so in sync. He's protective of you, and you're always searching for him if he's not standing right next to you. The minute he speaks or walks into the room you just light up."

She blushed a little but couldn't argue with the logic. "Is that weird?"

"Honestly? No, it kind of makes sense now why it never worked out for you before." He sat down on the garden swing next to the two girls, swinging them in a gentle motion. "I don't think I've ever seen you so full of life. And all I ever wanted for you was to be happy."

"Thanks Jer." She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. Emma nicely sat on her aunties lap, playing with her bracelet. "Gosh, when did my little brother get so grown up huh."

"Being a dad kind of leaves you no choice." He chuckled, stroking Emma's cheek. "Plus, Anna is really scary when she gets mad, so I tend not to risk it."

Elena laughed, looking up at him. "Oh my god, do you remember when you and Anna first met, and you totally thought that she was a vampire? You were such an idiot."

"That's probably why she didn't go out with me for the next five years."

They looked at each other and laughed out loud. Whenever she visited Jeremy and his family, she would realize how much she missed spending time with them. Jeremy wasn't that annoying, pot-smoking teenager anymore - he was a grown-up man, a father, a partner, a proud home owner. They could have a normal conversation, hush out any issues and share secrets without being judged or feeling embarrassed. Jeremy was her best friend, the rock that she had relied on in so many weak moments.

"There you are!" Anna motioned from the porch, shaking her head with a smile. "I thought you just kidnapped my child and left."

"I may have considered it." Elena chuckled, looking adoringly at Emma. "But Jer said that I can only steal her from you on the weekends."

"Well, it would be nice to sleep past 5 in the morning on a Saturday. So, you won't see me arguing about that." The petite brunette laughed and walked over to kiss Jeremy on the cheek.

"Told you, I'd get us a good deal out of this trip." He remarked and smiled at his girlfriend.

As soon as Emma saw Anna, she squealed and eagerly stuck out her arms, excited to see her mom after all this time. Anna picked her up, holding the little girl close to her chest.

" _That,_ and the whole table of gifts for Emma. Guess family reunions don't have to be so bad after all." She joked releasing Emma onto the grass, allowing her to roam free a little.

Jeremy and Anna were an unconventional couple. They met when Jeremy was in a serious relationship with Bonnie and neither had thought much of one another. Back then he was just a teenager making dumb mistakes and trying to be an adult, besides, everyone always believed that him and Bonnie would end up together. She had a good influence on him, being older and more mature, and they really did love each other. Time came to show that their relationship wouldn't last the long-distance and Jeremy had a moment of weakness which resulted in cheating, and from there everything fell apart.

At that time Elena truly hated her brother, it disgusted her knowing that he could hurt Bonnie like that after all that they've been through. That was the first time in her life that Elena realized how much love could hurt, and she saw it through her best friend's suffering paired with the sleepless nights, dozens of meaningless voicemails, a thousand unanswered questions. Not all love was meant to last, and most things in life would never really make sense. That was the adult lesson number one for all of them.

Several years and experiences later, Elena was happy that Jeremy found Anna. They didn't have an easy journey, with an unplanned pregnancy being merely 23 years old and no plans for the future, yet they managed to make things work. Their live together was nothing short of amazing, and they wouldn't change anything for the world.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Another chapter is here! It's getting really busy in the story and hard for me to keep the word count down, but I think this one captured all that it needed to :) Thank you so much for the reviews for previous chapters, they are so so amazing and keep me motivated to write. I am beyond grateful. I promise to reply to each of your comments this time, as I know I didn't get around to it last time (so sorry about that). But I read every single one of them and they make me so happy. So, thank you! and hope you enjoy this one xx **

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Elena walked into the office armed with a black coffee and determination to get through the day. She struggled to fall asleep the previous night with the previous events playing on a constant loop in her head. The weekend had been a nightmare, as expected. To say that Elena was surprised would be a lie, she had been prepared for the typical disapproval and disappointment, but not a complete ignorance and disrespect. It was obvious that Miranda had a made-up opinion on Damon and none of the things that he said or did would budge her mind.

This was like a slap in the face - when your own mother honestly thought that you drove the good men away and only attracted the bad ones. Despite being a grown-up woman, Elena's judgments still failed to be of any importance. Elijah in all his glory was supposedly the good one, for whatever reason. Damon was more than handsome, a statement strongly supported by all the female population at the birthday party. He came from a good family, had a successful career, and he was more than polite even when he had every right to put Miranda in her place. If he was more than good enough for Elena, why couldn't he be good enough for her mom?

The above made no difference, Miranda hadn't even tried to learn anything about Damon. She didn't even bother to listen when Grayson had attempted to talk her out of it, and that caused a whole other fight between her parents. Clearly Elena's dad was just as appalled with Miranda's behavior.

" _Miranda, that's our daughter out there." Grayson reminded her with fury. "What's gotten into you? This is the first time we've seen her in what, three months? You're going to drive her away even further."_

" _Now you want me to pretend that I'm perfectly fine with how she's ruining her life? She had everything Grayson. An amazing fiancé, opportunities. And now she's decided to chase after playboys?" She scorned with a heaving chest._

" _Maybe it wasn't as amazing as you think. We know nothing about their relationship, we also know nothing about why they broke up. There must have been a reason and I trust that Elena made the right choice. What did that poor guy ever do to you?"_

" _He will ruin her. He's just a distraction from Elijah, and I want her to realize that sooner than later. I can't support whatever charade she's trying to pull this time."_

 _Grayson shook his head in anger and spoke at last. "You're going to lose your daughter, and I'm not going to blame her for turning from you. Get your head straight, Miranda. You're living in denial." He stormed off and slammed the door behind him._

Elena brought the warm coffee to her lips and took a satisfying sip. Ever since the fight with Elijah she felt like an enemy at the firm. Like she was working on a mine-field and had to watch her every step and every word, careful not tick the bomb off. The bomb being Elijah, who shot daggers at her every chance he got. Disappointed or a hurt Elijah she knew how to handle, but full of hate and anger? That's something she hadn't dealt with before.

"Hey, you okay?"

Klaus softly knocked on the already opened office door, looking for permission to enter. Elena smiled and gestured at him to come through, standing up to give him a hug. They were quite close and working with him was one of the things that kept her there.

"I'm okay, what's up?"

"Heard you had a rough weekend." He started, taking a seat by the coffee table.

"Rough is one way to describe it." She added with short laugh and sat in the armchair in front of him. "But it's over and done with now, and I'm still breathing."

Klaus half smiled at her powering through but wasn't quite convinced. After years of being close friends, he knew Elena very well and could sense when things were beginning to dwell on her. She was never the one to spill her problems, and that usually got her into more problems.

"I noticed things around here are a bit tense and I know that's Elijah's doing. Do you want me to talk to him?" He offered, leaning in and resting his elbows on his knees. "Not that I already haven't told him to stop acting like a cry baby, but you know what I mean."

She looked at him appreciatively. Klaus was a good person, sometimes annoying and too damn stubborn, but also considerate of other people. He was almost like an older brother to Elena, always protective and ready to share some wise advice. Within months of meeting him, she knew that he would be perfect for Caroline. And that's precisely how the Klaroline love story began. And when it came to Elijah's and Elena's relationship, Klaus was always objective. He never made Elena feel bad for how things ended, he simply didn't get involved in their business.

"Thank you, but it's fine." She countered. "It's fresh, he just needs time. I'm sure he'll eventually come around." As much as Elena wanted to believe that, it seemed highly unlikely.

"Normally I'd disagree," Klaus added with a nod, "But given that he actually went on a date the other day, you might be right."

"No way, on an actual date?" She asked in complete shock. There was no doubt about the fact that since Elena, there was no-one that Elijah had even spared a glance.

Klaus grinned, feeling a little proud. "Yeah, I hope the dude finally gets laid. No offence or anything, but he's been a saint for a bloody year. Her name is Andie or something like that? He went to pick her up the other day for their 'date'."

No. This couldn't be happening. "Did you say Andie?"

"Yeah, why?" He questioned with an odd expression.

"What's her last name? What does she look like?" She fired the questions nervously.

"I have no idea, Elena. I haven't met her, he said she's a gorgeous blonde?" He offered confused. "Look, you can't be getting jealous now that he's fin- "

She sighed annoyed and quickly stopped him. "I'm not jealous, I'm just worried that this is someone I know..."

"How?"

"Damon's psychotic ex-girlfriend is called Andie."

They shared a look and his forehead creased for a few seconds. "You think that..."

She snapped. "I don't know! But trust me when I tell you that she's insane. She threatened me the other day to stay away from Damon, and now she's happily seeing another guy? Who happens to be my ex-fiancé?"

Klaus sighed rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and standing up straight. "Trust my stupid brother to finally look at a girl who isn't you and pick the crazy one. What do we do?"

"I think I should talk to him. Go to court, I'll meet you there okay?" She asked in a rush, keeping in mind that they had a hearing scheduled at 10.

"Okay but how do you know that it's the same Andie? There's plenty of girls out there who share the same name."

"Trust me, I know. A coincidence like this just doesn't happen."

"Fine, but I don't think that he'll listen to you, Elena. He's angry." He ran one hand through his sun-kissed blonde hair.

She shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "I should at least try."

* * *

Elena felt the sweat build up on top of her forehead and her heart was beating rapidly, the approach was almost like nearing the entrance of the lion's den. She had to prepare herself for the worst, Elijah was angry, and he would not appreciate Elena poking her nose into his business, especially when it came to his love life. Or even worse, he'd take her interest the wrong way and think that she wanted him back.

To hell with wondering. Camille, his secretary, let her through without giving it much thought. She watched his shadow walk around the office through the textured glass wall, and before she could even dream of retrieving, the doors suddenly opened.

"Can I help you?" Elijah asked, or rather demanded, coldly.

"Can we talk?" She could already see the 'no' flash across his face. "It won't take long."

Elijah walked back into his office without mouthing as much as a 'yeah', but he left the door open, so Elena took that for an invitation and quickly followed inside.

"You said you wanted to talk." He reminded her after a few seconds of silence had passed. "So, talk."

Ouch. He really wasn't sparing her today. Elena took a deep breath hoping to magically gain some confidence and opened her mouth to speak.

"Andie's using you." She blurted out. So much for not coming off strong.

"What?" He lifted his gaze from his laptop screen and stared at her angrily. "How do you know about Andie, Elena?"

"That's not important right now." She waved her hand dismissively, she didn't want to get Klaus into trouble. "I don't mean to get involved in your personal matters, but I couldn't just let this slide knowing that she's using you, Elijah."

"What do you even know about my relationship with Andie? What makes you think that you can come here and give me life advice?" He questioned one after the other, spiraling.

"I know that you're possibly putting yourself in danger, and that she is insane! She threatened me the other day."

He raised his brow in confusion, not sure if he was understanding correctly.

"Wait, you two know each other?"

She swallowed nervously. "Kind of."

He snickered. "So that's what this is about, you're angry that I'm finally moving on. You want to keep the cake and eat it, am I right?"

"No, of course not!" She argued sternly. "I want you to find someone and be happy, but that woman is bad news. You deserve better, Elijah."

"You want to know to talk about what I deserve?" For some reason the anger pent up in him and he walked up to stand right in front of Elena, pointing the finger at her. "I fucking deserved to be your husband, Elena. I deserved to be the happy father of our child celebrating his or her second birthday, with you by my side. I should be the one coming home to you, I should be the one going with you to see your parents for the weekend." He shouted out with fury and pain that lingered in his eyes, and this time it didn't just anger her. It sent a shot of regret and sadness, because had things gone right, that would have been their life.

"But I guess we don't all get the things that we deserve, right Elena?" He drawled without stopping. "Oh wait, pardon me. You did get what you wanted, after all. You never did want to have my baby, so the problem solved itself, didn't it? Or perhaps you helped the cause."

He chose the words carefully and spoke them with deep anger. His eyes were looking into hers all along and a deep part of him enjoyed seeing the tears build up and knowing how much it hurt her. For the longest time, Elijah felt like he was the only one suffering.

Elena stood speechless for a while, hearing the words that she never thought he would say out loud. It was a low blow, and disturbed wounds so deep that she couldn't hide the sorrow on her face.

Following a moment of dead silence, her hand moved at its own accord and she slapped him across the face.

"You're a fucking jerk."

Elena spat out at last and stormed off, slamming the door behind her. If Camille was at her desk during this confrontation she would have heard every word, but Elena couldn't care less at this point. She bit her trembling lower lip and hoped to God that she could hold off the tears, before managing to reach the ladies room at last and locking the doors. She threw her purse next to the sink and rested against it, lowering her head and finally allowing the tears to spill.

This was the first time that Elijah had used the miscarriage against her. It was a very thin line that he never dared to cross, and a blame that he never intended to shift onto her. It was an accident. A simple fact that Elena had yet to fully believe, due to the irony of the situation. She never wanted to have that baby, or any baby for a matter of fact. She hated being pregnant, especially knowing that the man she wasn't in love with was going to be the father. She was depressed and didn't see the point in pretending to be a happy family.

Her reaction to being pregnant was far from ideal. There were tears, shock and she refused to leave the bathroom for half a day. There were millions of couples trying for a baby, and things just weren't working out for them. Yet here was Elena, trying to figure out when and how to tell Elijah that it's over, but instead ended up having to tell him that she was pregnant.

She considered an abortion but couldn't bear to inflict such a painful blow to Elijah. He loved that child from the minute that he had found about its existence, and he promised that everything would be okay. They would get married and work through their issues, they had more than enough money to give the child a stable upbringing with opportunities. Everything would just make sense one day.

One day during a shopping trip, she stumbled across a pair of tiny grey socks with a little white bunny depicted on their front, and next to it, a pair of white 'sneakers' for new-borns. The image of their baby wearing cute little outfits suddenly made everything that much more real. The barely visible splotch on the ultrasound would soon become that small innocent baby, and it would deserve nothing less than to be loved more than anything in the world.

That was the first time that Elena honestly believed that she could be a good mother.

In those rare moments that came much later and when she looked at things with an open mind, she knew she could be good at the parenting thing. Elena had a heart full of love, she was gentle and understanding - and Miranda had shown her perfectly well how a mother should not be.

On the very same day that she had bought the baby's first outfit, life had a cruel twist and she had that tragic car accident. They had a stupid argument with Elijah that was blown out of proportion, he tried convincing her to stay - there was a storm on its way, and she wasn't in the right state of mind. But that didn't stop Elena from getting into the car, she had to clear her mind and Caroline said that she could come over and spend the evening.

She didn't stand a chance when an oncoming car swirled straight into her and hit the driver's seat, pushing Elena's vehicle outside of the road and into a tree. The driver was drunk, lost control of the vehicle due to the slippery roads and died on scene. Meanwhile Elena merely remembers a few seconds where the realization of what happened reached her and the agonizing pain shuddered through her body. In that moment, everything that she never wanted, became everything that she would never have.

The questions in her head piled up and she was accompanied by overbearing guilt, for not choosing to act differently that day. She was a careful driver, always kept her eyes on the road and didn't speed. But had she been less stubborn, or maybe if she didn't hate the pregnancy to begin with, maybe then things would have been different? And that stupid 'maybe' and 'what if' nearly drove her to insanity.

Now as she stood in front of the mirror observing the mess that she had become, the desire to hate Elijah grew stronger. He gave her the perfect reason for doing so, and finally gave up pretending to be the righteous one. Despite everything, she couldn't hate him. He'd been too calm for too long, never really took the time to properly go through the grief or even manifest his anger towards her. He had every right to be angry with her, for all she knew she deserved it.

* * *

1 week later

Elena straightened out her knee length navy dress and neatly folded her black blazer over her arm. She made her way through to Damon's office expecting to see Andie, but instead was greeted with an empty desk. She relaxed a little, noting that it was probably for the best.

She gently knocked on Damon's door and heard his velvet voice granting her permission to come inside. He was sitting behind his desk wearing a light blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a strong focus on the documents in his hand. The other hand framed his chin and brushed against his unshaven skin.

"Looking this good should be illegal, Mr Salvatore." Elena mused with a smile, closing the door behind her.

He looked up surprised and grinned at her sight. "Are you here to arrest me?" He teased, dropping the papers onto the desk and leaning back into his chair.

Elena circled his desk with a predatory fire in her eyes, making sure to sway her hips a little extra and maintaining their eye contact. She moved some things to the side and situated her bottom on his desk, crossing her long lean legs. She tilted her head to the side and smiled, but not in the usual innocent way.

"I don't know, have you been a bad boy?" She licked over her bottom lip, battering her eyelashes at him.

Damon reached out to caress her smooth leg, starting from her toned calf and slowly making his way up to her thigh.

"And if I was?" His thumb now traced lazy circle on the inner of her thigh, leaving behind a tingling sensation.

Elena swatted his hand away and pushed his chair back with the heel of her shoe, climbed off the surface and gracefully made her way towards him.

She leaned forward and in doing so brushed her chest against his shoulder, and her warm breath laced his neck as she whispered into his ear. "Then we should probably discipline you."

Damon growled at the provocativeness and placed both hands on the curve of hips, effectively pulling her to sit on his lap, facing him. The tight material of her dress hitched up a little revealing her toned thighs and giving him a little glimpse of her underwear. Her hips bucked forward, and her crotch was now rubbing against his manhood, which was hard ever since she walked into his office.

"Now sit still and let me take care of you." Elena laced his lips with a slow passionate kiss. She lowered her hands and started unbuttoning his pants, their breaths getting shorter and their bodies grinding against each other.

"Damon? Are you in there?" A male voice echoed through the room, and the doorknob twisted. Elena and Damon quickly jumped away from each other, sharing a disorientated look.

Elena stood up, pulling at her dress and smoothing down the unruly hair. She looked thoroughly ravished, although to both of their disappointment she wasn't.

"Shit, that's Stefan." He muttered out, zipping up his pants and painfully trying to hide the hard-on. Clearly not much has changed since their teenage years, Stefan was still cock-blocking him 15 years later.

"Oh," she bit her lip nervously and for a second, she struggled to recall who Stefan was.

"Yeah, wait up one sec." He replied to his brother. "We'll revisit this." He said slamming his lips onto hers and she moaned into him, before pulling away and giving him a sly smile.

Damon unlocked the door and Stefan peeked into the office. He eyed him up and then saw Elena standing on other side of him. The couple looked heavily out of breath and Stefan tried to hide an oncoming grin, as he took a wide guess at what his brother was occupied with.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were alone." Stefan apologized with slight amusement. "I wanted to speak with you, if you have a minute."

"Great timing as usual, brother." Damon patted him on the shoulder, faking a smile.

Elena stood in between the two awkwardly, noting she hasn't officially met Stefan. He didn't show up at the launch party due to his girlfriend not being well, or something along those lines.

"I'm Stefan, the younger brother." He stuck out his hand towards Elena and smiled.

"Elena." She shook his warm hand, returning the smile. She couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind, she did apparently resemble this Katherine heart-breaker. So far, his face didn't give anything away.

"I'll leave you guys to it." She offered and turned to Damon. "We can go out for dinner after work instead, okay?"

Damon sighed displeased. He didn't want Elena to leave, but he also didn't get many opportunities to meet with his brother. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course." She replied and pecked him on the lips.

"Maybe I'll come some other time?" Stefan offered apologetically.

"Don't be silly." She laughed. "Damon and I can see each other anytime. I'll see you around." She gave them a small wave before leaving.

"I'll call." Damon declared loudly, so that she could still hear.

"You better make this worthwhile, brother." He said sarcastically and grabbed his jacket from the chair. "So, let's go somewhere we can eat. I'm hungry."

"You know, mom mentioned that Elena reminds her of Katherine." Stefan commented slipping his hands into his pockets. His tone was casual, nothing implied that he was angry or upset.

"Why would she say that?" He asked annoyed, finding the comparison completely inaccurate. "Elena's nothing like Katherine."

Stefan shrugged his shoulders, almost trying to show that he had nothing to do with the statement. "I don't know, maybe it's the eyes. Dark and mysterious. Then the brown hair, tanned complexion. I guess there's a few things."

"That's my girlfriend you're talking about." Damon reminded him with a slight glare. Stefan used to be madly in love with Katherine, and it wasn't particularly tasteful of him to point out the things that attracted him to her in the first place.

"Right, sorry. I mean she seems nice, and we both know that Katherine was a manipulative bitch - so there's that." He chuckled lightly. "Honestly though, I'm glad you found someone. It's about time."

"Yeah, me too." He agreed. "Should we go to Bree's?"

"Sure, a burger does sound good."

Damon swiftly grabbed his wallet and they headed towards the lifts, engaging in casual conversation.

* * *

"You're going to be an uncle." The younger Salvatore proudly informed Damon, taking a bite out of his cheeseburger.

The fry that Damon was holding in his hand fell out and he froze, staring at Stefan like he was an alien.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep."

"How?" He asked, still in visible shock.

Stefan laughed out loud and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Lexie's pregnant, I don't what else to tell you. She's 15 weeks along."

"Wow, fuck." He shook his head and as if he finally understood, a grin emerged on his face. "Congratulations, brother."

Damon stood up and hugged Stefan adding a proud pat on the back. His younger brother was full of smiles and the happiness literally beamed from his pastel green eyes.

"I can't believe that my annoying little brother is actually going to be a father." He said stunned, before sitting back down.

There was a mere 3 years difference between them, and most of the time Stefan proved to be the more mature one, but that didn't change the fact that Damon always looked out for him. From the moment that Stefan was born, Damon had been his number one friend and protector. That hadn't changed much, as they grew up and life led them down different paths, they always made sure to be there for one another in the important moments. Much like this one.

"Me neither." Stefan added in disbelief. "It wasn't exactly planned, but I really think that we're ready for it. We love each other and know everything there is about one another. I've seen her best and worst sides, and I can't imagine doing this with anyone else."

"Yeah, you and blondie are a pretty good duet. And I imagine that it wasn't easy to find someone who doesn't make fun of your ridiculous hero hair, so you really shouldn't blow it." Damon chuckled at his joke.

Things were about to change, and Stefan's world was going to be turned upside down. But Damon saw how overfilled with joy Stefan was, and how he was so excited to become a dad. He truly wanted it. In view of the newly learnt information, Damon's mind wandered to what he felt for Elena.

He never considered Elena to be a meaningless way to kill time, nor was she the next flavor of the month. Her beauty struck him the first time he saw her, and maybe that first night they met he wanted nothing else but to score with her. Then on their unofficial date she proved to be more than just good looks, and she wasn't all over him like most women. Perhaps playing hard to get is what spurred him on, a challenge like that didn't present itself often enough to men like Damon.

Somewhere along the way he found himself indulging in everything that Elena said. Her personality was captivating, the way she talked about her job, life and friends was refreshing. She was full of determination and worked hard to have the job of her dreams, she ran her own show and didn't need anyone to take care of her. Elena reminded Damon of himself in that department, she didn't accept anything less than 100% from the people around her and life itself.

It was impossible to pinpoint when the feelings began, but somewhere amidst the small conversations and the innocent encounters, the urge to become a significant part of her life grew deeper. He wanted nothing more than to make her smile or hear her laugh. Soon enough, making it through the whole day without seeing Elena felt dull, and he realized how meaningless most days were before she stepped into his life.

The other girls faded and so did his interest in pursuing them. A mere conversation with Elena or a simple car drive with no exchange of words seemed like a better idea of fun. And now that they were together, officially in a relationship, he still wanted to take things further.

The speech that his brother shared should have been something that he would one day wish to relate to, instead Damon found himself understanding exactly what he meant. This time he couldn't deny it - he was in love. Elena was the love of his life. It snack up on him completely unexpectedly, there wasn't a huge bang or an arrow pointing at Elena saying 'she's the one - but now he understood why.

There was no such a thing as love at first sight. There was attraction and chemistry that pulled two people together, but those impressions were mainly based on the physical attributes. Love began where you look deep into their soul and see their weaknesses, flaws and still choose to love them the next day. You love them for everything, not despite of some things.

* * *

"Damon! Wait up!"

Sarah called out running up to Damon. She was a personal assistant at the firm and occasionally worked for Damon when he needed a replacement for Andie.

"A little out of breath?" Damon chuckled as she finally caught up to him and tiredly leaned against the wall.

"Tell me about it, I should visit the gym more often." She said sounding out of breath. "I saw you leaving for the day, but I really need a minute with you, please."

"What's up? You want to go back to my office?" He asked feeling a little uneasy. Sarah had worked for him for over a year and she never needed to speak to him in private, so something had to be up.

"No!" She replied assertively. "Can we grab a coffee or something?"

"Yeah, sure." He eyed her up with an arched brow, and gently touched her shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

"It will be once I tell you everything."

* * *

He parked in the usual spot outside Elena's house, hoping to find her in there. She wasn't picking up her phone and he hadn't heard from her since she left his office this afternoon. He grabbed his iPhone before stepping out of the car in a rush, and slamming the doors shut. His feet quickly carried him to the front steps of her property and he furiously rang the doorbell.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open and Elena gave him a baffled stare.

"Elena," He breathed out, relieved to see her. He stepped inside and instantly locked the doors.

"What happened?" She asked worried as Damon pulled her into his arms. "Damon is everything okay?"

"Sarah told me everything about Andie threatening and stalking you?" He answered, and she could hear the anger in his voice.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me anything? We spent that entire night together and you didn't even think to tell me that she went after you. Do you know how dangerous it was to ignore her threats?"

Elena sighed uncomfortably and dropped her gaze to the floor.

"I didn't think it was important, I mean for all I knew she was just being petty and wanted to scare me off."

He shook his head and scolded. "Not important? You're my fucking girlfriend, I should know everything there is to know about you. I should be the one to protect you and I can't do that if you keep things from me."

"Damon, I don't need to be protected. Andie's just upset that you don't want to be with her."

"Oh really, and that's why she's been stalking you for weeks now? Watching your every move and digging into your past? Is that normal to you?"

She raised her brows confused. "What do you mean, how do you know all of that?"

"Sarah found some stuff on Andie's work computer and got freaked out by it, so she told me everything. Which is exactly what you should have done at that stupid launch party." His jaw tightened, and his tone was laced with fury.

This put everything into perspective. Elena had all the evidence she needed to know that Andie was after Elijah for a reason. She found him because she dug into her past and found the connection.

Elena bit her lip nervously and took her hand into his.

"Look Damon, I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you and honestly, I just brushed it off as an empty threat."

He squeezed her hand back and once again pulled her into his embrace, wanting to have her as close as possible.

"I'm not angry at you Elena, I just want you to be honest with me. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you." He murmured out into her hair.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm going to fire her tomorrow." He pulled back a little to look at Elena. "I couldn't do it today, she wasn't in. But I promise you, you won't ever see her again. She will never lay as much as a finger on you, okay?"

She half smiled and teared up. "Thank you."

He captured her lips in a delicate kiss.

"Please take your stuff and come home with me tonight, I want you safe in my arms all night."

"Okay."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hey guys! This one is an important one, as I'd like to take a minute to let you know that this story is coming to an end and there will be around 2-3 chapters left. I've loved writing it and love the characters, but I've always imagined it to be around 20 chapters (ish). However, I DO have a new story coming out! The first chapter will be out very soon and it will be there just to give you a chance to see if you like the story and if I should continue with it. It's very different from this one, and I'm already loving it! Anyway - I'd like to thank you all for the amazing feedback on the previous chapter and I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks so much for your time xx**

 **Chapter 17**

"I'm quitting my job."

Elena mentioned, resting her head on Damon's upper arm and tracing patterns across his bare chest.

Damon's free hand delicately stroked her back, comfortably keeping her body close. "What happened?"

He asked surprised and shifted his body so that he could face her. She never mentioned that anything was going on.

"I don't think Elijah's handling us being together."

"What do you mean, has he said anything to you?" Damon creased his forehead and a stern expression formed on his face. He hated that she had to work with him, but he hated it even more knowing that Elijah was bothering Elena because of him.

She felt the instinct to lie and keep that stuff to herself, as she did with all things to do with her previous relationship. But she felt guilty, especially after Damon's speech about being honest with each other. There was nothing more that she wanted other than for Damon to know about everything. But the fear of losing him was paralysing and finding the courage to speak up was harder to find as more time had passed.

"Yeah. I've had a few arguments with him recently." _To say the least_.

"What did he say?" His blood began to boil as he asked through gritted teeth.

Elena moved to rest her head on her arm, pulling the covers against her chest. She looked at Damon and sighed before speaking up.

"The usual. Why I chose to be with you instead of him. And some new crap about how I should be his wife and then he started bringing up our past together and everything."

His jaw tightened at the thought of someone trying to claim Elena, and a strong urge to put Elijah in his place suddenly came over him. It made him feel like a caveman, wanting to put a claim on her so badly that all it took was one look to know that she was his. So yeah, he was jealous as fuck and it felt oddly justified.

"What did you say to him?"

"Nothing, I just told him that it's never going to happen. What else could I have done?" She countered.

"Damon?" She asked trying to regain his attention, as the conversation fell silent for a moment.

"What?" He snapped a little too harshly.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you, it's that dick that can't keep his hands to himself."

Elena rolled her eyes, sensing that he's being a little territorial. "Don't tell me that your jealous."

"And what would you do if I was?"

"I'd tell you to stop being an idiot. I want nothing to do with Elijah. I care about him, I want him to be happy, but I don't want any part of his life."

Damon carefully studied her face for any trace of emotion, but none showed. He believed her, but he also knew the extent to which desperate men went to.

"You never did tell me why you two broke up."

She cringed internally, realising that keeping a dead straight face wasn't going to be so easy this time. Her gaze dropped to her hands as she played with the hem of the white bed sheets.

"I didn't love him. We ended up wanting different things from life."

Well, that wasn't that far from the truth.

"So why did you agree to marry him in the first place?"

She was desperate for a sense of safety, stability and was scared to death of being a single mother. "I don't know, I guess it made sense at the time."

He sighed. "Okay." He switched the subject wanting to avoid an uneasy conversation, more for Elena's sake rather than his own. He sensed that she still wasn't quite ready to open up. "So, do you have anything lined up?"

"Nope." She pecked him on the cheek and grumbled out of his arms, reaching for the dark purple satin nightgown. "I'd be fine without a job for the next few months to be honest. But an old friend of mine did recently mention something about an opening at his firm, so I might get in touch."

"Ah, perfect. So, until that happens I'll have you all to myself." Damon snuck up behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and nuzzling his nose into her neck.

She giggled at the tickling sensation, tilting her head back allowing him more space to roam. "Oh, and now you're planning to quit your job?"

"Who needs one of those anyway." He muttered in between the soft kisses that he planted along her neck and bare shoulder.

"I don't know, some people might argue with you on that one." She turned around, still in his arms and admired the view of a half-naked Damon.

"Those people don't have _you_." A lazy smirk stretched over his mouth, and his ocean blue eyes glistened with desire.

"You wanna share?" She teased, enjoying the lengths that she could take him to.

"Never." He growled possessively and picked her up bridal style, carrying her back into their bed.

"Damon, as of yet I still have a job to get to!" She laughed, tightening her grip around his neck.

"And I have to remind you who your daddy is." He responded with a confident grin, dropping her weightless body onto the plush sheets.

She burst out laughing and eyed him up amusingly. "Daddy? Seriously?"

He shook his head and began untying her nightgown. "Hush, woman. Give me a few minutes and we'll see whose name you'll be screaming through the rooftops." He leaned over her body and captured her mouth in an eager kiss.

"A few minutes? Is someone losing their touch?"

He chuckled at Elena's brazenness and positioned himself at the base of the bed, lowering his mouth to her slender legs and beginning a passionate trail at her calf. The ever so gentle but languid kisses brought on goose bumps all over Elena's body, which only spurred Damon on as he loved watching her unravel and react to even the smallest of his actions. The delicacy of his touch mixed with warm breath soothed every aching limb in her body and her pulse was rocketing within a few seconds.

Damon's soft lips continued their dance against the velvet of Elena's skin, nearing the inside of her thighs where Damon's tongue would dart out and delicately graze against her skin ever so often. Her entrance was getting slicker by the second, and her hips bucked upwards in a silent plea for Damon to divert his attention elsewhere. She was more than ready to feel him fill her up to the hilt and take his claim.

Elena felt him softly chuckle against her skin, as he moved one hand onto her lower belly and pushed her body back into the mattress. He looked at her smugly from the junction between her toned thighs and licked over his lips, never breaking their eye contact. That had to have been the most erotic view she'd seen in her life, and she has had her fair share of experiences. Elena's center pulsated with hunger as she tightly gripped onto the sheets, sensing that she would fall over the edge in no time. Prepared and anticipating a desperate relief, she whimpered as Damon's hungry lips danced along her panty line instead and continued the taunting.

Soon enough she felt the warmth of his tongue on her folds, emanating graceful strokes and teasing at the entrance. An uncontrolled whimper left her lips, urging Damon to keep going. Elena thought that she was going to explode, when his tongue finally flicked over her nub, sending a jolt through her body. Her hips moved in their own accord against the motion of his mouth, and just as his finger curled up inside of her, an intense orgasm blissfully washed over Elena.

"Seems like my game is strong as ever." He whispered against her skin.

"I still think we should practice some more." She mused in a hoarse voice, too far gone to let him go. Who would care about going to work when you have a naked Damon Salvatore in between your legs. To hell with it, for all she cared they could fire her today.

He grinned and slipped the flimsy nightgown off her body, discarding it somewhere to the side. His gaze was so intense and passionate, like she was about to be devoured. And in that moment, she desperately wanted to be owned by him, completely and fully. She wanted him to make her feel like she had never belonged to anyone else.

* * *

"See you in the evening?" Damon asked pulling up in front of Elena's work.

They ended up having fifteen minutes to get ready, but apparently anything was possible when you had the right motivation. He looked over at Elena in the passenger seat who was just finishing applying mascara to her eyelashes, enhancing those chocolate orbs.

"Sounds good." She smiled undoing the seat-belt, and then leaned in to kiss him before leaving.

He had every intention of getting into the office as soon as possible, but when their lips touched one more time he felt himself drowning in the sensation.

"I need to get going." She mumbled out with a giggle, as he tried to deepen the kiss.

"One more." His question came out more like a demand, as he forwent her answer, recapturing her soft lips.

Gosh, she wanted him again, on that bloody parking lot.

He pecked her lips a few times before finally pulling back and sporting that trademark smirk of his, as he always did when he got his way.

"You're crazy, you know that?" She caressed the side of his face and smiled brightly. She would never get enough of that man.

"Move in with me."

The smile faded and instead she graced him with a blank expression.

"What?"

"I want you to move in with me."

Damon repeated with a straight face and assertiveness in his tone. He was acting like he had just asked her to pass the butter or to change the tv channel, nothing out of the ordinary.

"As in you want us to live together? Like you want me to live with you?"

"Well, I don't know how else two people can live together." He mused jokingly, trying to take the edge off.

"Damon's that's a huge step forward..."

"And that's exactly why I want to take it." He countered, his voice full of optimism that somehow, she couldn't quite share.

Damon re-positioned himself in the seat so that Elena was in his full view, and he reached out to grasp her hand into his. Every time they shared an intense gaze, he felt like he could easily drown in the depths of her eyes. Perhaps that's what happened the first time they met, because he hasn't looked anywhere since.

"Promise me that you'll at least consider it."

That she could do. Consider it, and conclude that it's a terrible idea, right? No. She wanted this just as much as Damon.

"Okay."

He grinned widely at her confession. "I appreciate that."

"No, okay as in yeah, I'll move in you."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, I want that too."

* * *

Nothing could wipe that smug smile off Damon's face, not today. He had a meeting with HR and as per regulations he was able to remove Andie from the position of his PA and the papers were already being written up. She was borderline psychotic, and he found it extremely infuriating that he completely missed what was right under his nose.

He couldn't thank Sarah enough for making him aware of the situation, given that Andie had gone to deep depths to find any dirt on Elena, it was only a matter of time before she exhausted her options and actually did something to her. That was something that made Damon shudder at the thought. He loved Elena, she was it. Although she was yet to hear those words from him, it was so blatantly obvious that they fell so deep with one another. And whenever he would sense that she's ready, he would tell her.

Damon approached the mini-reception bordering his office, mentally preparing himself for the upcoming roller coaster. Firing people was an inevitable part of being the boss, but it wasn't something that he particularly enjoyed. Now, firing exes was something he hadn't done before and something told him that it wouldn't go down so well. There wasn't a 101 on how to make that go smoothly, at least not in the company's handbook. Should have listened when everyone told him not to mix business with pleasure.

Andie sat perked up behind the huge glass desk, deeply focused on the computer screen and with a pen dangling from the corner of her lips. The locks of caramel colored hair framed her flawless face and a pair of black rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, something that wasn't part of her daily attire. She was blatantly beautiful and a sweet girl, or so Damon used to think. He would forever curse the night that he let Andie dig her claws into him.

"Morning Damon." Andie greeted him with a smile, showing off her pearly set of teeth. "I've placed the mail on your desk and emailed you the complete schedule for the day. Not going to be a busy one, but there is that meeting regarding the new campaign at 12 which will probably run well into the afternoon, so I've left that open for you."

He gave her a tight smile, stopping at her desk and trying to focus on what she was telling him. She was good at her job, that he had no complaints about.

"Thanks." His fingers tapped against the glass. "I need to speak with you, so come up to see me when you have a moment."

The content look from her face dropped and she caught the pen before it fell to the floor. "Talk about what?"

He sighed. "You'll find out when you come to my office."

Andie stared at him blankly as he walked into the office, disappearing from her sight and leaving her hanging. She quickly got up on her feet, taking off her glasses and placing them to the side before storming into his office, the door slamming after her.

"Are you going to fire me?" She spoke in an accusatory tone as she stood in front of him with both hands on the hips.

"You will no longer be working for me as off next Monday."

"What? You're firing me?"

"I've decided not to extend your contract. You have a lot of overdue annual leave, so instead of a standard months' notice, we'll pay you your normal salary for the four weeks, but you won't come to work." Damon stated dryly whilst carefully observing the look on her face.

"I'm sorry, what?" She snapped and shook her head in disbelief. "Did your new girlfriend ask you to get rid of me?"

"Don't bring Elena into this." He threatened, losing his cool and the ability to keep a straight face. "This conversation is over. Make sure to pack your things before you leave on Friday and you can expect a written notice later on today."

She teared up and her voice was more shaky than angry. "Damon, how can you do this to me? To _us_? I love you. She doesn't!"

"You are fucking delusional Andie, there is no us…" Damon banged his fist on the table with fury. "We fucked a few times and that was it, I never felt anything for you."

"Well, you sure made it seem like you did." She bit her lip nervously. "She'll never give you what I could, Damon. You deserve so much better."

The anger grew on him as Andie's comments about Elena struck him to the core. He couldn't stand anyone speaking badly of the woman that he loved, a woman that had a pure heart and only wanted the best for everybody.

"I suggest you shut your mouth right about now." He walked up to Andie and now stood mere inches away from her. "You know nothing about Elena and the kind of person that she is. Just like you know nothing about our relationship, so don't even try to stir any bullshit. And I'm warning you right now that if you dare to step a foot anywhere near her, I will make you pay for it."

"Look at you, defending the damsel in distress like she's all innocent." She tried to take a step back to ease the distance between them, but instead backed herself into a wall. "Elena's pregnant. And I think it's safe to say that you're not the father, seeing as I found the ultrasound picture at her ex-fiancé's place."

Damon stalled for a minute, words seemed to escape him, and he just stood there thinking. What the hell was she talking about? Elena would never cheat on him. They basically spent every free moment together, he felt that she was as deep into their relationship as he was.

"Does this come as a surprise to you, Damon? Not so perfect after all, is she…"

She whispered and reached out to caress his face, but Damon turned away and grabbed her hand in movement.

"I don't know what game you think you're playing, but nice try."

"I'm not playing any games, Damon! Elena is pregnant with Elijah's baby! I found the picture with her name as the patient and it was in his stuff. What other explanation is there?"

"How the fuck do you even know him?"

The blonde briefly dropped her gaze and shrugged her shoulders. "I had to do something, Damon. I couldn't just stand there and watch you fall for a liar. So, I dug a little, found out who her ex-boyfriend was, and I started seeing him. Only to find out what she was hiding… and I was right!"

Damon was now aimlessly pacing around his office as he released a humorless laugh at her confession. "Do you not hear how crazy you sound right now? You stalk my girlfriend, take secret photos of her, seduce her ex and search through his personal stuff to find dirt on a woman that you don't even know?"

His voice was a little louder now, as he continued speaking before she had a chance to respond. "Get the fuck out of my office and stay away from Elena and me. That's my last word."

* * *

Damon couldn't wait any longer, the thoughts in his head were spiraling and no amount of reassurances would make the dread go away. There was never a doubt when it came to Elena and her faithfulness, if she didn't want to be with him she would have made it clear. As stupid as it sounded, Damon knew her heart. She loved him, despite not being ready to admit it, and the whole damn world knew it.

He called and asked to see her, and some part of him wanted to punch himself for ever doubting Elena, but he had to hear it straight from her. That there was no pregnancy, no cheating. That he wasn't in love for the first time in his life with a woman who had deceived him.

"Damon, what's wrong?"

The sound of her angelic voice brought him back to reality. He'd been standing outside her house for a good few minutes, building up the courage to ask the dreadful question. The sight of Elena clad in black jeans and a loose white cardigan only made him want to scoop her up in his arms and forget about everything that he heard. But something inside of him just wouldn't let it go.

"Ehh, yeah. Can we go inside?"

"Okay…" Elena nodded unsurely and led them back inside, with Damon following behind.

"Come on, you have to tell me what's going on. You're making me worried."

His eyes darted around the dining area and located a couple of boxes stacked up around the room, labelled as 'clothes' and 'shoes' and tons of other things. His heart sure skipped a beat knowing that she was packing to move in with him, to start their life together.

There was a one in a million chance that he would ruin the best thing that ever happened to him, but he had to take the shot.

"Elena… did you cheat on me?"

Her mouth formed into an 'o' shape and she looked at him fully baffled. "What are you talking about? I'd never do that to you… Why would you even think that?"

"Are you pregnant?"

Her lower lip trembled, and she had to take a deep breath, not understanding where this was coming from. Had someone told him something?

"No." It came out sharp and definite.

"Okay," Damon finally breathed out, a visible weight dropping off his shoulders. "I knew that it wasn't true, I just had to hear it from you. I'm sorry."

"Who told you those things?" She asked with teary eyes.

"Andie." He admitted with shame. "Look, I swear I didn't believe her. She made up some shit about you being pregnant with Elijah and an ultrasound photo that she found at his place with your name on it. I knew that she was lying, but I was so fucking scared that I'd lose you. I had to hear you say it."

Elena nodded in understanding, but as one tear fell down her face and the next one followed, she knew that it was time to spill the truth.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you."

Damon muttered out as guilt washed over him for making Elena cry. He instantly closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her fragile frame, as she wept quietly.

"No, it's not your fault." She attempted to wipe the tears away and gather herself together. "I have to tell you something."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"The things that Andie told you… they weren't a complete lie." Her voice began to tremble as she saw the look on Damon's face turning sour.

"I didn't cheat, and I'm not pregnant. But that photo that she found… that's true. Elijah and I were going to have a baby, two years ago. When I was 6 months pregnant, I had a car accident which resulted in me having a stillbirth."

Elena felt the hold on her loosen and her legs took a step back, as she dared to meet his gaze and searched for any clues of what he was feeling. By now she couldn't even remember what words she used, only the racing pulse served as a reminder of the courage that had spilled out along with those words.

Damon stood there motionless, not knowing what to say or how to act. He wasn't even looking at Elena, perhaps scared of doing the wrong thing. She had been holding back all this time, and now that she spilled her heart out, he didn't know how to react.

"Elena, I don't know what to say…" He finally admitted quietly. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you, and that you felt like you had to tell me in these circumstances."

She shook her head violently in disagreement. "No, you deserved to know so much sooner. I just didn't know how to tell you. I've never talked to anyone about this apart from Elijah."

The palm of his hand cupped her cheek, and he leaned forward. "I love you, Elena."

If her mouth wasn't already wide open, then right at this minute she would be picking it up from the ground. The three magical words that haven't been said to her... well, in a while. She could have sworn that the rhythm of her heart stalled. How could he love her after she had been lying to him?

"Damon…"

"Shh, listen to me." He found the courage to stand his ground, desperately or maybe even stupidly, ignoring every doubt that haunted his mind.

"I know that you're terrified right now. I know you're scared of commitment and screwing things up. Now I know why, and it's so damn important to me that you shared this with me, especially seeing how much it cost you. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that, and I hope to God that you don't blame yourself for what happened. And right now, I'm telling you that I don't care about what you've done, where you've been - I love this girl standing in front with me, with tears in her eyes and trembling lips. You're the bravest and strongest person I've ever met, Elena."

Elena half smiled through the tears and for the first time in her life, she tasted what happiness truly felt like.

"I love you too, Damon."

She whispered before crashing their lips together.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **3 months later**

Today was the day - Elena's best friend was finally getting married to the man of her dreams. But those closest to Caroline and Klaus knew that it was just a formality, they didn't need a mere paper to evidence their devotion and love to one another.

Elena stood in front of the golden framed mirror curling the ends of her chocolate hair, adding the finishing touches to the final look. She observed the image painted in front of her with an amid realisation. The anticipation of this day used to bring out so many different emotions, but right now all she felt was that it was going to be a happy one. Not just because of the wedding day, but also because for the first time in a while Elena felt happy for herself.

Jealousy was a bitch, and it always crept up in the most inconvenient moments. With the final date approaching, finding the perfect dress, the perfect venue, being asked to be the bridesmaid… the question of _is it ever going to be me_ used to have a nasty habit of sneaking up on Elena every now and then.

But today, looking back at her own reflection, she noticed one blatant thing that couldn't be described as anything other than pure happiness. The corners of her full lips tugged upwards, her eyes had found their long-lost spark and the future didn't seem so dark anymore. Of course, the excitement for Caroline's day had its part in it, but the overall image was all thanks to _him_.

"Lena, can you help me with my dress?" Bonnie's voice pulled Elena out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, one second." She switched off the curling wand and softly ran one hand through the curls, creating an effortless wave. "Calm down Bonnie, we have plenty of time." She commented noticing Bonnie's panicked face.

"Plenty of time to get killed by Caroline." Bonnie mumbled unimpressed, turning around so that Elena could zip her up. "She expects us to be ready like an hour before everything starts."

The girls settled on long, flowy chiffon dresses in soft lilac. They were strapless and had a sweetheart neckline, and to finish off the look they added a simple silver necklace, the general vibe being sweet yet elegant. And as per the bride's request, the dress was a total and complete resemblance the bride herself - crazy but sweet.

Elena laughed as she stepped behind Bonnie. "If she kills us then she won't have any bridesmaids, so I think we're safe." Her hand gently tugged at the zip and she proceeded to pull it upwards in one effortless motion.

Bonnie exclaimed a small sigh of relief and muttered out a brief thanks, which Elena took as a green light to get ready herself. She grabbed the bag containing her own dress from the wardrobe door, and took it into the en-suite bathroom. As the doors shut behind her, the silky white gown dropped to the floor and she started to slip on the bridesmaid dress. Following a few minutes of fiddling with the dress, it became more obvious that the material clung to her body a little tighter than the last time she had tried it on. Frustrated at the struggle and the material just not sitting right, she called Bonnie over for help.

"I swear this wasn't so tight the last time I tried it." She exclaimed, shaking her head. "Oh my god, what if it doesn't fit Bonnie?" She abruptly turned to face her friend.

"It will, Elena." She tried to reassure her with a smile and a calm tone. "You haven't put on any weight."

"But my boobs feel much bigger." Elena muttered out with a sigh, continuously tugging at the top of the dress and trying to adjust the bust area. "Like none of my bras fit anymore."

"Are you on your-" Bonnie asked pulling at the zipper.

"No. I haven't had it yet." She mumbled.

They shared a knowing look, words failing to escape them. Suddenly every little detail sunk in, and a whole picture painted itself in Elena's head. The heightened sensitivity to every situation, swollen breasts, sudden hatred of her most loved foods, cramps. This just screamed pregnancy, especially as Elena had those exact symptoms the first time that she was pregnant. Never did she think that two years and one heartbreak later, she would be in the same situation. So, naturally it stalled her for a moment. It was difficult not to associate pregnancy with pain, confusion and ultimately the worst time of her life.

Bonnie started uneasily, "Do you think that you could..."

"No." Her head shook sternly, as she searched for the period tracker on her phone, checking the dates and exactly how late she was. "It's only one week late, that's normal."

Bonnie offered her a comforting smile. "You're probably right. But it would be best if you just took a pregnancy test."

It was such a deja vu moment. Those words, so familiar yet so different, given the circumstances. It was somewhere at this stage that Elena's life began crippling away, and what would follow only taught her the most painful lesson of her life. Yet right now, she had no idea how she felt about it.

Elena blew out a small sigh, her eyes tearing up. "It's not possible, I mean the doctor said it would most likely never happen for me again."

"Oh Lena," Bonnie pulled her into a tight hug, "I know you made yourself believe that this would never happen for you again, but there was always a chance."

"What about Damon? I already told him that I'm pretty much not able to have kids." Elena quickly pulled away, catching the teardrops before they trailed their way down her cheek. "He'll just think that I lied to him."

"Of course, he won't, you told him what you thought was the truth, it's not your fault." She quickly reprimanded her. "You're scared, Elena, and you have every right to be. But isn't this time a little different? You love Damon, right?"

Elena nodded, without a doubt. She loved every single little thing about Damon. The way he made her feel so alive, the way his kisses awakened every nerve in her body, the way his eyes bore into her soul, reading her like an open book.

"So please, stop this nonsense. You'll buy a pregnancy test and brace yourself for whatever the result will be. But the first thing that you'll do is talk to him, okay?"

Elena's expression slightly enlightened at the words of comfort, as she inhaled a deep breath and nodded once again. She didn't know what scared her the most, the pace at which their relationship was going or the mere possibility of having a baby. This time was different though, she couldn't imagine doing this with anybody else, but would Damon think the same?

"Thanks, Bonnie." She smiled and wiped the corner of her eye. "Okay, no more crying! We've practically ruined our makeup and Caroline really _will_ kill us if this is how we look at her wedding." They both giggled in agreement.

"Now let's try and get this dress on without ripping anything in the process."

* * *

"Well, don't you look handsome," Elena teased with a grin, as Damon approached her, clad in a pitch-black suit and a sleek lilac tie to match the bridesmaids dresses.

"We are a pretty hot couple, aren't we?" He mused back, engulfing her petite frame.

"Undeniably." She muffled into his chest, wrapping both arms around his waist. "How is Klaus doing?"

Much to everybody's surprise the two bonded over the last months, Klaus had no problem looking past the fact that Elena who was once engaged to his brother, was now happily in love with a different guy. Perhaps it was their shared sense of humour or the laid back approach to life that connected them in some way, nevertheless it made Caroline thrilled by the prospect of double dates, at times even triple if Bonnie and Enzo joined.

"Cool as a cucumber, I'm guessing he'll show up at the altar." He chuckled at the last bit.

Klaus was as calm as ever, smiling from ear to ear and snapping jokes every chance he got, there was no doubt that his dreams and plans were on the edge of aligning. He was more than ready to become a husband, and Caroline didn't even have to drag him down the aisle. Truthfully, it made Damon somewhat jealous - after all Klaus was clearly marrying the love of his life, the woman of his dreams. Despite the little time that he and Elena had been a couple, he knew for sure that's how he felt about her.

"He's brave, that's for sure." Elena looked up at Damon and giggled at his reaction. "What? it's not like I haven't met Caroline. But then I do love her to pieces, so I guess I can see where Klaus is coming from."

Damon chuckled, brushing a strand of Elena's hair behind her ear. "I guess. But my eyes are set on someone completely different."

" Let's keep it that way." She smiled, climbing onto her tiptoes and placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Come on love birds, the ceremony is about to start!" An excited voice called out, bringing them back to reality.

They pulled away from each other, still holding hands as Elena headed towards the door. Before she managed to take a step further, Damon gently grabbed Elena's hand, causing her to turn around.

"Damon, we can't be late." She reasoned slightly confused, gesturing at the church.

"I know, I know." He dismissed the reminder, allowing his eyes to carefully roam over Elena's face. "How do you feel? You look a little pale." His tone was laced with genuine worry.

Elena quickly nodded, feeling her heart rate increase and beating rapidly against the rib cage. "It's my best friend's wedding, I'm stressed."

Damon sighed, narrowing his eyes in on her. "You're a terrible liar, you know that?"

"And you read into everything too much." She argued with a small pout, pulling him by his hand. "I promise I'm fine."

He halted her movement again, this time placing both hands on her shoulders forcing her to turn around. "And despite claiming to hate me for it, you're actually grateful. Makes it that much easier when you don't have to talk about it." He mused gently, placing a kiss on her forehead. "But this time, we will talk about it. After all of this is over."

A small smile tugged on her lips as they made their way towards the church, hand in hand, step by step. Damn him for literally sensing her every mood, but in a way, Damon was right; it did make things easier. Not having to build the courage to start a difficult conversation or exposing what makes us vulnerable. The one thing that she noticed about their relationship was that there was no room for unspoken words or uneasy conversations, at least not anymore. Since Elena had shared everything there was to share, there was nothing but honesty and transparency.

But this time it was different, and it had to stay a secret, at least for some time. She just didn't want to say anything before she had the facts. Elena couldn't stand the thought of giving Damon hope and then taking it away. Right now, she didn't even know what she thought about all of this; was it possible to want one child but not the other? Was she ready to be a mom this time? Did she know how to be one? There were too many questions, and far too few answers.

* * *

 _Flashback_

" _I can't believe that he promised mom that they would move to Richmond, and now he's buying a house in Boston." Damon mumbled, scrubbing the dishes in the sink._

 _Elena laughed at his proclaimed frustration, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. "Maybe he wants to be closer to his big brother, someone will need to babysit once upon a time."_

" _Mom was more than willing to babysit, in_ _Richmond_ _." He emphasized with a long sigh. "Now she's going to be nagging me any chance she gets."_

" _She'll be fine, it's the first time becoming a grandmother." Elena pointed out, gently resting her head against his back. "Of course, she's freaking out a little, but that will pass."_

" _Are you speaking from experience?" He asked wearily, unsure of what reaction to expect._

" _When Jeremy was going to be a dad, my mom had a midlife crisis." She chuckled lightly, remembering Miranda's erratic behaviour and the strong opposition to becoming a grandparent at only forty-three years old. "And now Emma is the only person that she's nice to, so I guess you could say that it all ended well."_

" _What about when you were pregnant?" It slipped out naturally, but soon enough he regretted saying it._

 _Elena's shoulders slumped in defeat, knowing that she couldn't deliver an answer. "She never knew that I was pregnant."_

 _He felt her body stiffen against him, "What do you mean?"_

" _I never told her. She would have been over the moon, knowing that Elijah would forever be a part of our family, my life. And I certainly didn't feel that way." Elena admitted with a tight smile. It felt like a lifetime ago and speaking of those days felt so distant, like she hadn't actually lived through it. "Everything was so hectic back then, I was in denial for so long, not letting it get to me that I was going to be a mom. Then by the time I was ready to tell, I had already lost it. It didn't make sense to tell them that the grandchild that they never knew they had, was gone."_

 _Damon reached for the kitchen towel, drying off his hands, and turning around to face her. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that." He slid both hands into her hair, tracing his thumb across Elena's jawline._

 _She shook her head, feeling a painful knot forming in her throat. "It's in the past, it's fine."_

 _His lips tightened, and his gaze bore into her. Despite the moment of silence, loud waves of comfort washed over Elena, as the look in his eyes said so much more than words could ever caption. Damon just knew._

* * *

"Oh great."

"What's got you all fired up?" Elena chided as her and Damon took a seat in the front bench next to Enzo and Bonnie.

The couple exchanged a look and Bonnie leaned into Elena with a nervous whisper. "Elijah's here."

Elena dismissed the warning with a small laugh, "Yeah, I figured he'd show up at his brother's wedding." She instinctively slid her hand into Damon's, giving it a comforting squeeze.

She hadn't seen Elijah in a while, not since she quit working at the firm. It had to be done sooner or later, and it became obvious that even their friendship was toxic. He would never understand that she loved Damon, nor would he ever allow Elena to let the past go - and that's what she desperately wanted, needed.

Elijah was her past, but Damon was her future. When an opportunity came up at Tyler Lockwood's firm, it was the perfect time to leave - and when her last day rolled around the corner, Elijah didn't even try to stop her from leaving. There was no plea and no redundant questions, he simply watched her pack up her stuff and go.

"Have you seen his date?" Bonnie nagged, her gaze lingering in their direction.

"I didn't know that he brought anyone." She looked out for him out of curiosity, and her eyes widened as she located the two of them. "Oh no, he didn't."

"I can't believe he's still seeing her; does he not get that she's just using him? That's just desperate."

Elena instantly felt Damon's body tense at the sight, and soon enough he was getting ready to stand up and approach the newcomers.

"I'll speak to her, she shouldn't be anywhere near you."

"Damon, it's fine." Her eyes pleaded with him not to go. "You can't kick her out of the wedding, Elijah needs to be here for Klaus. Just ignore them."

"She hates you, Elena." He pointed out sharply, unphased by the attempts to stop him. "If it were up to her you'd be buried six feet under."

There was nothing that Elena could say to dispute that, so she reached out to grab his hand and moved up closer to him.

"Nothing will happen to me, you're here, everyone is here. She won't try anything." She said reassuringly, looking up at Damon with hopeful eyes. "Please, I don't want to ruin Caroline's wedding day."

"Yeah, because an attempted murder is just what would make this day even more perfect." Bonnie barged in sarcastically, as she stood in agreement with Damon.

"Bonnie, don't start." Elena scorned tiredly, shifting her attention to all three of them. "Look, she's sad and desperate, not a serial killer on the loose. Please, let's just enjoy the day and forget that they're even here."

A moment of tense silence followed, as they all exchanged an unnerving look. Neither one of them entertained the idea of letting Andie get away with the threatening and then spending the day in her presence, pretending to be a group of friends. But as much as they hated to admit it, Elena had a point, they couldn't forget about Caroline.

Damon's internal struggle came across visibly, as he messily ran his fingertips through the raven dark hair and sighed in a defeated manner.

"Fine, but you're not leaving my sight. And the second she comes anywhere near you, I'm not going to hold myself back." He warned in a definitive tone.

"Damon..."

"No, you're not going to be putting everyone else's happiness before you and your safety. Not on my watch."

There was no arguing with Damon on this one, she felt it in the tense grasp of his hand and a stern look on his face. He hated exposing Elena to any danger, especially when it came from his past mistakes. To this day he couldn't fathom how Elijah, who claimed to have loved Elena more than anything, didn't have an issue with dating a woman who had threatened her life.

Elena nodded reluctantly and stroked her thumb over Damon's hand, trying to assure him that everything would be okay. The sound of the wedding bells ringing echoed through the church, reminding the two bridesmaids to join the line at the altar. They rushed to their designated spots, each with a small bouquet of white roses, awaiting the arrival of the bride.

Klaus stood waiting at the altar, clad in a jet-black suit and a lavender tie, perfectly in line with the theme of the wedding. There was no trace of panic evident in his face, as Klaus wasn't one to be overly emotional, but the rigid posture and glimmer of nervousness in his eyes gave away more than words could. Elena sent him a comforting smile, which he reciprocated with a small nod.

Everyone's head turned when Caroline appeared at the end of the altar, her dad - Bill was proudly giving his daughter a way, all smiles and eyes glistened with tears. The beaming blonde truly looked like a princess approaching her knight in shining armour, her beauty overshadowing every person in the room. They were both living their dream, and nothing could ruin that moment.

* * *

After the ceremony, all the guests were guided to the dining hall where they fetched off to find their seats. Caroline had made sure to pick the perfect tables for everyone, and she had to consider people's spats and manage who hates who, which wasn't the easiest task. The number of guests came up to over a hundred, and the Mikealson's were mainly to blame for that. They were a huge bunch and most of the family members flew in from England to witness the big day.

The lingering stares of Klaus' and Elijah's closest family did not escape Elena's attention, as she shared a few sweet kisses here and there with Damon. Maybe it was meant as a jab or maybe it was just a simple loving gesture towards the man that she was crazily in love with. It certainly felt weird being surrounded by all of them in the given circumstances. There was always this sense of unresolved issues hanging in the air, and she wasn't quite sure if they held anything against her.

"Oh Care, I'm so happy for you!" Elena exclaimed with tears building up in her chocolate orbs, as she flashed a huge grin at the newly married couple.

"Thank you so much for being here with us guys, all of you." She pulled them into a tight hug, tearing up herself. "I can't believe I'm finally Mrs Mikaelson!"

"Yeah, we can't believe Klaus actually went through with it." Damon chuckled, and Enzo wholeheartedly laughed at his remark. All three girls slapped them on the arm, with a lingering glare.

"Well that was unnecessary, you know I'm happy for you and your Ken."

"Mate, she'll make me kick you out of this wedding, beware." Klaus laughed, tying his arm around Caroline's waist.

"Alright, I'll behave." His shoulders slumped, and he reached out his hand to Klaus. "Honestly though, congrats guys."

"Well, if Care is up for kicking people out then I think we have a candidate." Enzo added bluntly, which earned him a glare from Elena.

"No, we don't." She corrected him.

Bonnie elbowed him as discreetly as she could, trying to get him to shut up, although she agreed with what he was saying. But she wanted to respect Elena's wishes, and avoid the possibility of creating any drama on Caroline's wedding.

The blonde's forehead furrowed in confusion, as she tried to piece the puzzles together. "What's going on guys?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Klaus' remarked shockingly, getting everyone's attention.

"Will someone finally tell me what the hell is going on?"

Caroline demanded annoyed, as everyone's head turned towards the entrance of the hall, their eyes landed on Elijah parading in with Andie on his arm.

Elena spared them a brief glance, but then quickly faced away from the overly happy couple. Her shoulders slumped powerlessly, as everyone seemed to be much angrier about this than her. Honestly it didn't hurt to see Elijah with someone else, it did however hurt that he was clearly using Andie to get back at her.

After the whole fake-pregnancy fiasco that Andie crazily made up, Elena thought that Elijah would quickly see through her lies. But Elijah forgave Andie as quickly as he fell for her, blaming it all on Damon and the fact that he broke Andie's heart, leaving her desperate to get even.

"Please tell me that you did not know about this." Caroline directed her accusatory tone towards Klaus.

"Of course not." He scolded in disbelief. "I made it clear that she wasn't allowed in here."

"Obviously not clear enough." She remarked annoyed and slammed the bouquet that was holding into Klaus' chest. "I'll get rid of the bitch myself."

Caroline was ready to storm off on a mission of her own, as she proceeded to slip off the ridiculously high heels and handed them over to Klaus. They all observed her frantically prepare to start an almost guaranteed fight, when Elena halted any further movements by moving to stand in front of her best friend.

"Care, you don't have to do this. I honestly couldn't care less if she's here or not."

"You are my best friend, and she got away with threatening you." Caroline reminded her, keeping her voice to a minimum not to attract the other guests' attention. "I couldn't care less if Elijah wants to bang her all night, but he is sure as hell not allowed to bring that bimbo to my wedding."

"If you kick her out, you know that Elijah will leave too. That's Klaus' brother and he needs him here."

Klaus sighed, pulling them both to the side. "That's my brother and my problem - let me talk some sense into him."

Before anyone could add another word, Klaus walked off in search of his big brother, with everyone's eyes on him.

* * *

 **A/N: So sorry for the wait! I haven't abandoned this story, I'd never do that. I promise the next chapter will be out much sooner. Thank you so much for all your support - hope you enjoy this one xx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Care to explain what your plus one is doing here?" Klaus angrily spat out the words at Elijah once they had bypassed the guests and found a less busy spot.

Klaus was furious, everything inside of him was fuming. He knew that Elijah was using his wedding as a weapon to hurt the people that he loved, for his stupid satisfaction, not caring for the overall picture.

"Andie's my girlfriend." He pointed out shamelessly. "I don't see why she shouldn't be here."

Klaus released a hard laugh, shaking his head. "How about because I asked you to do me a favour, on my wedding day, and not bring her here? Was that too much to ask for?"

"What's with the double standards, Elena gets to bring her fuckboy, and I'm not allowed to move on?"

"Oh I'm sorry, did I miss the time when Damon threatened to get rid of you?" He asked sarcastically, taken aback by Elijah's obliviousness. "And fuck, yeah, it would be nice of you to finally move on! But you and I both know very well that this is not what you're doing."

"You really don't see it? Elena was jealous of Andie, made her out to be a stalker just so that _he_ would fire her and Elena could have him all to herself." Elijah shouted angrily, pacing back and forth.

"I don't even recognise you anymore. I mean are you hearing yourself right now? Elena is like family to me, and that's what she used to be to you too. You really think that low of her?"

He shook his head, feeling betrayed by his brother. "She got rid of _my_ child, broke up with me the next day. Led me on for a fucking eternity, yet you're still on her side. Nice to know that _she_ is your family now, and clearly I'm not."

"What do you mean 'got rid of it'?" Caroline asked hostilely, surprising both of them with her presence. "She was in a car accident, had to give birth to her dead child and was quite literally a wreck for months to follow. Don't you _dare_ even go there." She walked up to Elijah's face, ready to fight him on this.

"Oh my new sis in law." Elijah exclaimed sarcastically, backing away from her. "How nice of you to finally join us. Finally built up the courage to fight your own battles?"

"Say one more word about my wife and I'll look past the fact that you're my pathetic excuse of an older brother." Klaus threatened, moving over to stand in front of Caroline.

"Shut up, Elijah." The blonde hissed through her teeth, staring at him with glaring eyes. "You don't get to come to _our_ wedding, bringing unwanted guests and ruining this for all of us. Just get out of here, I don't want you here anymore. Not like this."

He laughed unbothered, he knew everyone would defend her. They always did. "The only person who's bothered by this is Elena, so once again everything is about _her_. Once again we're all bending backwards to please the poor Elena."

"Caroline, you should head back inside." Damon said sternly, emerging from the venue. Elena petite frame followed closely behind, the sound of her heels clicked against the concrete, as everyone's heads turned in her direction.

"I think all of you should head back inside, Elijah and I need to talk." Elena corrected him, she was more than eager to settle this once and for all. There had to be some way of avoiding the disaster.

Elijah eyed her up, his stare growing colder with each second. He hated that despite everything that had happened, Elena still had a way of making his heart skip a beat. " _We_ have nothing to talk about. I came here to celebrate my brother's wedding day." He briefly motioned at Klaus. "Yet everything somehow ended being about you again. But I guess that's no surprise, given how you always make yourself out to be the victim."

"When have I ever done that, Elijah? I took the blame upon myself, I _hated_ myself for what happened." She sounded defeated, the strain in her voice was evident. "Don't take out the anger that you feel for me on the people that care about you."

"How could you have taken the blame for anything, if it wasn't a mistake?" He bit his lip. "You wanted it to happen. You made it so damn clear that you hated carrying my child. So, no, you won't fool me anymore. You're the coldest bitch I've ever met."

The seconds the words left Elijah's mouth, Damon's anger and patience exceeded his limits, and his fist met with Elijah's face.

"Don't you ever say speak of her like that again." He spat out angrily, observing the small trail of blood coming out from the side of Elijha's nose.

He wiped the blood with the sleeve of his shirt, chuckling. "She'll screw you over, just like she did with me. You'll see."

Elijah took a look around the four of them, all shocked at what had just happened, but neither standing by his side, not even Klaus. He picked up his jacket from the floor, having dropped it amidst of it all, and walked away.

* * *

"Does it hurt?" Elena asked with a grimace, as she delicately pressed the moist cotton-pad against Damon's bruised temple.

She watched him wince at the stinging sensation, his head leaning back. Although she hated to see him in pain, the frustration with the recklessness of his behaviour during that long and dreadful evening remained at its peak.

"I'll be fine." Damon muttered under his breath, too stubborn to cave in.

Elena put down the first aid kit with a sigh and sat down beside him on the edge of the bathtub. "Honestly, what were you thinking punching him, Damon." She voiced with disappointment.

Her eyes observed his reaction tentatively, with her lips pressed into a tight line. She expected so many things to go wrong tonight, but Damon punching the hell out of Elijah wasn't one of them. It's not that he didn't have it coming, it just wasn't worth their time or energy to give him the attention that he so badly craved. If Elijah needed a reason to go after Damon, then he sure earned one tonight, and it was placed on a silver platter right in front of him.

"He was being a dick." Damon reasoned with pretense, and his eyes widened a little at Elena's reaction. " _And_ he was disrespecting you. He deserves far worse than what he got."

"So what? I can stand up for myself." She argued. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Damon."

"Not when it comes to him." Damon shook his head in disagreement, he was taken aback by how much control Elijah still had over her. "You just stood there and listened, whilst he took you apart, piece by piece. I know you feel guilty about what happened, but you can't keep blaming yourself for everything. It was an accident, Elena."

"He lost far more than I ever did." Elena admitted quietly, and openly for the first time. Somehow it hurt less saying it than thinking it on a constant loop. "He was a father the minute he found out about the baby, and the day we lost it, he also lost the girl he wanted to marry. He has a right to hate me."

Damon searched for the flash of pain that accompanied Elena whenever she spoke of the past, but this time she seemed distant, like she wasn't relieving each second of it.

"And you have a right to live guilt-free, Elena." He reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time. He wasn't capable of understanding the pain of losing an unborn child, nor did he try to downplay what both Elijah and Elena had gone through. But he wasn't about to pretend that it was okay for Elena to carry the weight of it all on her shoulders.

"None of those things were done on purpose, they just happened. It's not fair that Elijah had to go through all of that, but let's not forget that you were a victim in all of this too. If he can't deal with that then that's his problem."

His words had Elena grounded motionless for a moment, each of them pulling at a different string of emotions. If it were only this easy to accept things for what they were and move on, sweeping all guilt under the rug and pretending like nothing ever happened. No matter how illusional those feelings had seemed, she also knew that they were real. She felt each and every single one of them to their core.

"Well, you just might have a problem of your own if he decides to press charges." Elena added, trying to divert from that topic.

"If he wants to then I won't try to stop him. It's just an act of desperation." Damon shrugged unbothered, earning him yet another glare from Elena.

"Nothing that he does will bring you back to him. We both know that's what he's after."

She sighed, knowing that he had a point. "I love you Damon, you know that right?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"I'm not going anywhere." His tone was assertive, he could sense her insecurity from afar.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you're afraid that all of this is going to make me leave. That I can't deal with your past issues." His eyes bore into hers, searching for a confirmation of his assumption.

Elena's lips turned into a half smile, as her gaze dropped to the ball of her feet. "I wouldn't blame you if you did." She muttered out quietly, with a sarcastic chuckle at the end.

Every other man would run, she knew that. She had given him plenty of warning signs, Damon was well aware that things with her would not be an easy ride.

But that despite it all, he was still there.

"I guess before I met you and never knew what loving someone meant, I probably would have." He breathed out, circling an arm around her waist. "But, luckily for us, we _did_ meet, and I'm madly in love with you. I'd never give that up." He kissed the top of her head.

She looked up at him with a smile, the warmth in her chest spreading at the confession. "I'm madly in love with you too."

He lowered his face to plant a sweet kiss on her lips.

"So let's not let this get between us." He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. "That's exactly what they both want, for us to break up."

Elena nodded with a smile. "How weird is it that both of our exes are crazy psychos, pairing to ruin the both of us?" She pondered over the question, realising how insane their luck was.

"Not weird at all, considering how much of a catch we are." He offered nonchalantly with a grin.

She laughed at his lame joke, the stress elevating from her tense shoulders. She was no longer angry with him for whatever reason Damon always had a way with her, even if he was acting recklessly.

"I have to say with how this day was turning out, I didn't think I'd be sitting here laughing at the end of it."

Damon chuckled, pleased with himself. "Well then it's a good thing that you have me."

"Good doesn't even begin to describe it." She countered, releasing a satisfying breath. No words could ever encompass the way she felt about him, or how grateful she was that he crept his way into her heart.

"I know I said that we would talk about you being all shady, but we can do that tomorrow, if you want." He offered, and she instantly nodded in response. Too much has already happened in one day, and the big revelation could wait until the next day.

She smiled, pecking him on the cheek. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

The conversation with Bonnie constantly echoed in the back of Elena's head, as the not knowing of it all slowly got the best of her. With each turn of the pillow, and yet another switch from one side to the next, it became obvious quite fast that she wouldn't be able to get any more sleep. It was a little shy of 6am, but she knew couldn't wait any longer. Damon was fast asleep with his face buried in the pillow, and she wished she could just close her eyes, nuzzle herself into his back and forget about all of this.

But the only thing that Elena's mind could focus on right now was the pregnancy test hidden in the depth of her handbag, after she managed to get them on their way back to the hotel. She made Damon wait in the car whilst she paid for gas, which he unwillingly obliged knowing all too well that she was angry with him.

Though she wanted Damon to be there, holding her hand and whispering innocent words of reassurance, she knew that she had to prepare herself for the worst. As terrifying as it was not to know herself well enough to be able to predict what her reaction would be to either outcome, it would be unfair to place that burden on Damon. He shouldn't have to witness the raw emotions that would undoubtedly resurface, nor would he able to deal with them. After all, Elena didn't know how to do that herself.

Elena reached for her nightgown, careful not to wake him, and quietly tiptoed into the bathroom. She remembered this process almost too well, and it felt like a repeat of the worst song ever. Now all it took was a few minutes and their fate would be decided.

X x x

Two lines. A positive. Had it been two minutes already? Did she do it the right way? Her eyes shut tightly for a few seconds, and then she re-opened them to once again study the result on the stick. Who was she kidding, there was no wrong way to pee on a stick. She had done this before, been in the exact same place, staring at the little object in her hand with pure disbelief.

She blinked the tears away, throwing the empty package in the bin and splashing some water over her flushed face. Her hands rested on both sides of the sink, bracing herself to break the news to Damon. He could handle this, she knew. But could _they_ walk through this fire, and come out together, still holding hands?

Elena kneeled down next to Damon's bedside, gently shaking his arm.

"Elena? " He asked in a hoarse voice, his eyes barely open.

"We need to talk." She whispered withholding tears.

Damon was now fully alert having detected the worry in her tone. He quickly sat up discarding the bed sheets to the side, and reached for her hand.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Elena leaned into his touch, craving the solace that only Damon was capable of giving. The reminiscent of now dried up tears stained her tinted cheeks. She was angry at herself for not being able to keep herself together, for breaking down so easily despite trying so hard not to. All of the doubts had successfully vanished, she knew right there that this was not what she wanted.

Tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes again, as she struggled to find the courage to tell Damon upfront. Saying the words out loud would only make it more real, it would mark a turning point in their relationship that she wasn't quite sure they were ready for. Instead, she pulled out the pregnancy, handing it to him in the most simple of gestures, searching for a telling reaction across his face.

Damon's sight landed on the small object, as only one conclusion came to mind, but that couldn't be possible. "Are you..?" He swallowed.

She nodded. "It's positive, Damon." Her voice was shaking.

"But I thought that we couldn't?" He inhaled slowly, shifting his gaze from the pregnancy test to Elena. She looked defeated, and it was a view that he dreaded.

"I was convinced that I can't get pregnant… I don't know what to tell you." She mumbled.

"Are you sure this is right?"

She shrugged her shoulders, her lips quivering. "They're not always accurate, but I'm late."

"Damon I have no idea what to do, this wasn't supposed to happen to me. I never planned for this to happen." She was looking up at him with watery eyes, searching for a magical solution, a sign that all of this was a mistake.

"Shh, come here." He pulled her into his arms, tucking in a strand of hair behind her ear. "Everything will turn out okay, we'll find a doctor, make an appointment and then we'll talk this through."

"I already have an OBGYN." She said with a sniffle. "I can see if she has any appointments."

"Okay, just let me know when and I'll go with you."

"You don't have to." She whispered hesitantly. She desperately wanted him by her side, but some part of her _still_ refused to allow herself to need someone.

"You're not doing this alone, Elena. I want to be there with you."

"Thank you." She nuzzled her face into his chest, as he tightened his grip around her.

* * *

Dr Meredith Fell had been carefully studying the black and white image on the screen for a while now, whilst Elena laid on the bed, nervously staring at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry Miss Gilbert, but from what I can see here you are not pregnant." She said with a sad smile, putting down the ultrasound machine back into its slot.

It felt like something inside of her had dropped, like suddenly she regained the ability to breathe again. "But what about the test?" She questioned in shock, as Dr Fell handed her a towel to rub off the gel.

"A false positive isn't that uncommon." She confirmed, pulling out Elena's medical records and scouring through some of the information. "The common symptoms like nausea can be caused by a number of factors such as high levels of stress, which can also make your period late. But we'll get your blood tested as well."

"Oh, I see." Elena breathed out nervously, finally sitting up. She felt confused, all of this was just too surreal.

"I'm sorry, Elena. This happens more often than you think. But now that you're trying to conceive, we should schedule you in for a proper appointment." She suggested

"I wasn't trying." She objected a little too strongly. " I mean I was certain that I couldn't have children."

The doctor's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "I can only refer to your old medical reports as I wasn't your obgyn at the time, but there isn't anything here that would suggest that. Maybe you understood wrong, or the doctor didn't make himself clear."

She frowned, her head felt like it was spinning and nothing was making any sense. She understood correctly. They told her the abdominal trauma was substantial. Sure, she didn't follow up with the appointments and was distraught at the time, but how could she have made something like that up?

"Elena?"

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I said I can book you in for next week. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine." She breathed out.

* * *

Damon's thoughts had not ceased pacing since this morning. He sat in the waiting room alone, which he felt grateful for. At this point seeing happy couples that were looking forward to hearing their baby's heartbeat for the first time would only make him question his dilemma even more. His leg was nervously pacing up and down, and his elbows rested on his knees, as he tried to prepare himself for how to handle Elena when she exited the room.

There was no doubt as to what outcome he wished for - after seeing her in such distress this morning, crying and confused, he prayed that this would turn out to be a false alarm. He would never be her ex-fiancé, he couldn't make her carry a pregnancy that she didn't want. But despite how everything seemed to be unfair towards Elena, he felt a little jab of pain of his own.

He never expected to have a pregnancy scare in his thirties. That was meant for reckless teenagers who had their whole future ahead of them, and suddenly all of their plans and dreams were being pushed out of sight, as the unimaginable fear of what their parents were going to say hang over them. None of those things applied to Damon. All of that was behind him, he had earned his degree, worked relentlessly at carrying the legacy of his father and continuing the success of Salvatore Inc. He used his opportunity to travel the world, had his fair share of experiences - but most importantly, he had the woman he loved. A woman that was his present, his future, his everything - the woman that he one day imagined would be his wife. And as he learnt today, a woman that hated the thought of being the mother of _his_ child.

Was this the worst case of Deja Vu, or did Elijah really had a feeling about this…

The doors opened as Dr Fell saw Elena out. Damon got up on his feet, grabbing Elena's coat and bringing it over to her. "How did it go?" He asked with caution, his eyes narrowing on the brunette.

"Just a false alarm." Elena admitted quietly, avoiding direct eye-contact with him.

"They'll do some blood tests just to make sure, but she couldn't see anything on the ultrasound." She added whilst he helped her slip on her coat.

It took Damon a few seconds to ponder over his reaction, so he just nodded and settled on staying quiet. He would never admit to her that _something_ in that moment broke in him.

He took one more look at Elena, who appeared pale and exhausted, and all he wanted was to protect her from this world, from herself. But if this day taught him anything, it was that he couldn't fight Elena's demons for her. If she didn't know how to face them on her own, they would always end up winning.

They walked out together in silence, their bodies seemingly close yet somehow at a distance, as they each kept their hands to themselves.

* * *

A whiff of nostalgia greeted Elena as Damon opened up the doors to their apartment. She spared a longing look around the living room, then the entrance to the kitchen and lastly laid her eyes on the balcony, as it all reminded her of the first time that she came here. This place held a lot of memories. This was where they had their first real date, where they made love for the first time, where they shared their first breakfast together.

How did things turn out to be so complicated? Six months ago right there on that balcony Damon made her think that she could be fixed, that she didn't have to be this hopeless girl who had given up on finding true love, who was scared of commitment. And when he put it that way, it all made sense - she was captivated by his strength, confidence, pure heart.

Yet standing there right at this moment, knowing that she was deeply and truly in love with Damon Salvatore, Elena also realised that she was living an illusion driven by her selfish desires. This was a fantasy, an alternate reality in which she was capable of making Damon happy and never doing anything to hurt him. But the minute things got real and an iceberg appeared on the horizon, she allowed herself to sink, pulling him along with her. The only way to save Damon was to set him free.

"I am a lost cause, Damon." She shook her head and bit her lip.

"What are you talking about?" A look of confusion spread over his face, as he threw his jacket on the nearby armchair.

"Do you remember when on our first date you told me that not having things all figured out didn't make me a lost cause?" The words kept spilling out her mouth as if she wasn't paying attention to Damon's response. "You were wrong."

He furrowed his brows, not knowing where she was heading. "Elena, you've had a long day. You're exhausted. You should lay down, maybe try to get some sleep." He gently ran his hands up and down her arms, trying to soother her down.

"I hurt you today, Damon." She managed to say with her doe eyes staring up at him, her throat felt swollen with emotion. "I saw the look on your face."

The movement of his arms halted and he swallowed nervously. "It hurts me to see you in pain. I love you, the last thing I want is for you to go through all of that again."

"I know that, but that doesn't change the fact that my reaction to all of this hurt you too." A single tear rolled down her face. "And it kills me to know that I was the cause of your pain."

"Elena, why are you doing this?"

"Because I've been so horribly selfish with you, for all this time I thought that it was okay to make you give up all those things that you want, for the sake of being with me."

He felt the anger pent up inside of him. "You didn't make me give anything up." He reminded her of the bridge that they already crossed. "I came into this knowing that you won't have kids and that didn't stop me from wanting a future with you."

"Yeah but I could have them if we wanted to.." She finally admitted. "That changes everything. I'm taking that option away from you, and that's not fair to you."

Damon sighed, feeling that she wasn't going to believe in to whatever he had to say.

"Okay, maybe in some way it did hurt me to see how relieved you were after the appointment, and how upset you were when you thought that you were pregnant." He said quietly, as if he was trying to conceal the meaning of his words. "But I also know what you've been through before, and I understand how terrified you must have been."

"You don't get it, Damon." She exclaimed frustrated. "I love you so much, and all of this just showed me how wrong I am for you. Don't you get that this should have been a happy moment? I know things between us have been moving super fast, but you are the best thing that's ever happened to me and god knows how happy you make me. Yet the minute that I saw those two lines, I just wanted to disappear. I hated the idea of being pregnant, what kind of person does that make me?"

He felt the pain in her voice, as he wiped away the oncoming tears from her face. "I'm not going to live my life thinking about what it could or should have been, it is what is. And I love you, and I want to be with you."

"But we're never going to work, Damon." She said shakily, as the realisation hit her. "You can't build a relationship on sacrifices like this. You can't pretend like you never imagined yourself growing old with your grandchildren running around."

"Elena, that's a stupid fantasy that most people have." He argued with frustration. "Yeah it seemed natural to me that one day I'd have a wife and be a dad, but it wasn't some dream of mine to have that. Why are you suddenly trying to make me think that I made a mistake when I already accepted things the way they were."

"Because I saw that pain flash through your eyes." She paused before making the painful statement. "You wanted it to be real, Damon."

He ignored the remark, his gaze dropping. "What does it matter, why can't we just move on from this? I mean just because you're not ready now, doesn't mean you'll feel the same about this in 5 years."

"What if that day when I want children will never come? Can you promise me that you won't wake up one day and regret the decision you're making right now?"

Up until she asked that questioned, Damon was so adamant about his answer. He had prepared himself for this, was so convinced that he knew exactly what he wanted. But right now, he couldn't find the right words.

"Can you or can you not promise me that?" She repeated the question that had the power to break them.

"I'm not going to answer that question." He offered her the only fitting answer that he had.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have the answer." He finally broke with a heavy sigh leaving his lips.

She smiled at him sadly, feeling each piece of her heart shutter. "I think _that's_ your answer, Damon."

Their eyes locked for one last time, exchanging a longing look of love, sadness, desperation. And just like that, nothing was left unsaid.

"I'm so sorry.. I love you so much, but I can't do this to you." She whispered.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Damon's face appeared blank as his stare fixated on the doors, a constant reminder of the barrier between his mind and reality. He couldn't tell whether it had been ten minutes or days since Elena had left, but that didn't matter. It's not like he tried to stop her, and even if he did, she wouldn't have listened anyway. The choice was already made, and it wasn't him.

The dark humour within him searched for an appropriate reaction to all of this, as he contemplated on whether he should be laughing or crying at the cruel twist of fate. It seemed like a couple of moments ago, Elena was falling asleep in his arms, declaring her endless love, kissing him senseless. And that's how he envisioned their life together, with nothing getting in the way. But oh, just how was he proven wrong, when within a split second the love of his life walked out the door with tears streaming down her face.

Damon sighed, still feeling numb as he dragged himself back up on his feet, heading towards the mini bar. The perfect stash stood untouched for a while, hidden away for days like this. Before Elena had stormed into his life, he would indulge in alcohol at a different club almost every night, accompanied by Alaric or Enzo and by the end of each night he would usually find himself tangled in someone else's bed sheets. Despite all the women he had encountered in all the thirty years of his life, Damon was yet to meet a woman that would captivate him, one that he would want to entirely give himself to.

And recently life had him thinking that he finally found her. But now the only thing that haunted his mind was the possibility of it all being a facade, a mistake. Because how else could it have been so easy for Elena to walk out of his life. Did their relationship even mean anything? Was he just some sort of a consolation prize? He hated to even entertain those thoughts. Maybe she wasn't good with putting her feelings out on the front line, but the way her body reacted to him, the way her eyes smiled at him, that spoke volumes. It had to mean _something_.

Perhaps he was so drunk on her, that his mind fed him all these illusions, keeping him at a constant high. Yeah, that felt like an accurate comparison. He was like a drug addict coming down from a high, only this time he could no longer indulge and savour in the moment, because he knew that there was nothing waiting for him once he got down.

Damon reached for the top cabinet in search of a glass, and instead his eyes landed on the pink coffee mug cosied up right next to his. The knot in his stomach instantly tightened, reminding him that it never really left. He swallowed hard as he grabbed the glass that he initially wanted and slammed the cabinet doors shut. All that encircled his mind was the dwelling realisation that Elena would never again parade into his kitchen wearing his unbuttoned shirt, with her hair still wet, carrying that stupid pink mug filled with steaming hot coffee that he brewed for her whilst she was still in the shower.

Stupid, huh? So damn stupid. He finally tipped over a bottle of his favourite bourbon, and watched the dark brown liquid slowly flow into the glass. This wasn't going to be the only glass tonight, that much he knew already. His lips traced along the tip of the glass, and he then proceeded to gulp down all its content in one smooth motion. The bittersweet taste washed over him, and all he wished for was for it all to just go away.

The confusion, the pain, the anger, the stupid and useless feelings of hope that haunted him every time that he found her hair tie on the floor, or the way her sweet jasmine scent still lingered on the bedsheets, even after he washed them.

Maybe if he knew what it was all for, maybe then he could accept things and move on. But right now, he couldn't. He needed to understand how the one thing that he had done wrong was accept the turn of events. Did she want him to offer her a way out of it all? To freak out like the worst thing in the world has happened. Because clearly the blind desire, the need to be with her was not enough.

He cursed himself for feeling the anger that was yet to evaporate, and he strongly doubted that it would. Elena was making the choice for him, acting like he wasn't capable of making a decision, when in fact he had already made one. He knew that he wanted to be with her, and if that meant not getting the chance to be a father, then he would be okay with it. At least that was what he thought at the time.

But he also couldn't deny that there was some confusion in him, maybe even some self-doubt. She threw him off with the question of 'what if' and the vision of what he might want or regret in the future. Honestly, it terrified him to think that one of those days he would feel anything but love for Elena. That he would want anything other than to spend the rest of his life with her. But could he wake up one day, when it would be all too late and hate her for taking that option away from him? It was hard for him to even begin to envision that, but Elena seemed to have no problem in doing so.

* * *

No more messages. No more missed calls. No knocks on the door.

She knew it was horrible to treat Damon that way, and only God knew how much she had wanted to reach out to him. There was nothing easy about this. It felt like she hadn't stopped crying since she walked out of his apartment. She didn't even remember how she made her way home, all that she could remember was the constant heartache that followed in suit. And she deserved every second of the drilling pain.

Elena laid in her empty, unfamiliar bed staring at the ceiling, contemplating on how this emptiness would now become her norm. All that she would now encounter would be an empty bedroom, an empty home. And she wasn't going to fool herself, the deafening silence would not become her solace in all of this. Nothing good could ever stem from the absence of Damon.

With a hefty sigh she dared to look at her phone screen for what felt like the hundredth time, only to find the old pile of messages from Bonnie. Some missed calls, but nothing new aside from that. Nothing that would make her feel that familiar twitch inside.

Her phone buzzed again, and Bonnie's name once again popped up on the screen. The mere thought of speaking to anybody sent a wave of anxiety over Elena, but she knew that Bonnie wasn't going away any time soon. Sooner or later she would have to break the silence.

"Hey." Her voice cracked a little as she picked up reluctantly.

"Elena, I swear I will murder you!" Bonnie shouted down the phone, she sounded mad but also relieved to finally hear Elena's voice. "I'm standing outside your door right now, and you better open it cause I'm not going away until you talk to me."

Elena sighed, knowing this wasn't up for a debate. "One sec." She hung up, throwing the phone under the pile of pillows as she scrambled out of the bed.

It was the first time she'd been out of her bed... Well, in a while.

Looking down at her scruffy sweatpants and the worn-out t-shirt, she figured she should probably change, but there weren't any fucks that she could find to give right now. Most of her clothes weren't even there and she would probably never find the courage to collect her stuff from Damon's place.

Putting on a brave face, she pressed her hand tightly on the cold metal door handle and barely pushed the door open, when Bonnie's petite figure pushed her way through. She looked at her with eager eyes that immediately began to study Elena, and the mess that her home had recently turned into.

"Are you okay? I was sick worried about you!" Bonne's arms wrapped tightly around Elena long before the words left her lips.

Elena shut her eyes, sinking into the hug. "I'm sorry, I just needed to be alone for a while."

"I get that, but texting me saying 'not pregnant, broke up with Damon' and then ghosting me was a really stupid idea." She frowned annoyed, foregoing any attempts at dodging the touchy subject.

Well, when she put it like that it really _did_ sound like a lame idea.

Elena shrugged her shoulders, "You asked what happened, and precisely, that is exactly what happened." She answered bluntly and walked off into the lounge.

That, and she had successfully managed to smash her heart into pieces. It was either her own wrongdoing or the universe acting up, that was the only conclusion she had come to in the last couple of days.

Bonnie was taken back by her shortness, and honestly, this wasn't the state that she expected to find her. Elena was strong, she never let herself get defeated like that. Did they miss how Damon became the glue to her life, keeping it all well and together? She sighed worriedly and followed her into the lounge.

The short walk through the hall served as a cold reminder of how everything seemed to fall apart in just a matter of a few seconds. It wasn't too long ago that they were all here, goofing around and eating pizza, all whilst helping Elena pack her stuff to move in with Damon.

Bonnie sat down on the edge of the sofa, starting off uneasily. "I just don't get it, everything was perfectly fine at the wedding, we talked and you were still in love with Damon, ready to tell him that you might be expecting... What happened?" The question trailed off towards the end.

"I _am_ in love with Damon." Elena corrected, shuddering at the thought that anyone could ever think anything different. "But we can't be together, because I can't give him what he wants." She swallowed; her voice strained with emotions.

"You mean you can't give him a baby?" She looked at her sympathetically.

"I guess that's what it came down to." She replied tiredly, wrapping both arms around her knees.

"Is that what he told you?" Bonnie pondered over the possibility but knowing her best friend all too well it seemed unlikely.

Elena gave her the brunette a telling look and shook her head. "Of course not. He would never hurt me like that, but Bonnie, I felt his disappointment at _my_ relief."

She sighed. "So, I take it you weren't exactly happy with being pregnant after all."

Elena sighed, focusing her vision on the view outside. "When you and I spoke, and we thought that I could have been pregnant, it kind of made me feel excited. And it wasn't just the possibility of having a baby, it was the fact that Damon and I would be connected, forever. In the most intimate, personal way any two people could ever be connected. No matter what happened between us, we would always share _this_ together. And I was convinced that I wanted it."

Each word felt like a knife stabbing her in the chest, as this would have been the perfect happy ending that they both deserved, if only things were as simple as that.

"Until I was faced with the possibility of it being true, and all I could see was the pain, the loss, the crippling fear, everything else that happened the last time I was expecting. And I hated it, I didn't want it anymore." She confessed with tears trailing down her face. "It's been so long since that happened and look at how badly I put back all the pieces together. How fucked up I still am to this day. I don't think I could ever go through anything like that again. I could never live with myself if I ruined Damon the way I ruined Elijah."

"Oh Lena," Bonnie scooted over to her, hugging her again and resting her head against Elena's shoulder. "I think you both love each other very much, and you're absolutely miserable without each other. I mean, Damon's practically a wreck, and clearly you aren't doing any better. Don't you think that _this_ is the thing that could actually ruin him?"

"Letting him go was the best thing I could have done for him, Bonnie." She added painfully. "He's the best man that I've ever met, he deserves to be with someone who is stable, able to give him happiness."

"And that's exactly the kind of person that you are. I may not say it often enough, but you are the strongest person _I_ know." Bonnie offered wholeheartedly, with a small smile. "You've literally been through a shit storm, you managed to move on from the fact that you lost your baby. You called off an engagement to go after your own happiness, despite all the obstacles and the pain that you carried with you all this time. You managed to turn things around when most people would have given up, so please, stop saying that you're weak or incapable."

"You really think so?"

"Hell yeah, we all do!" She exclaimed happily. "And I know I wasn't the biggest fan of you and Damon at the start but seeing you guys together changed everything. The way he is with you or how you always light up whenever he's around. You've always wanted to find your place on earth, and I think he is just that for you."

Bonnie was right. All this time she was searching for a place that she could call home, and she found it in him, only to throw it away when things got rough. All this time she'd been oblivious to the fact that Damon was her home.

"I need to see him." Elena announced with wide eyes, as she grumbled off the sofa, wiping the tears from her face.

"Finally! I knew I could make you come to your senses." A huge grin appeared on Bonnie's face, as she jumped back up on her feet. "Do you want me to drop you off there?"

"Yeah, that would be great." She remarked in a haze, a little dizzy from the sudden quick movement. Was she really doing this?

"Wait, you should probably take a shower before we go." Bonnie suggested, pushing her towards the bathroom. "You haven't been looking great these days."

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence Bon." She replied sarcastically, furrowing her brows. But as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she couldn't help but see alike. "Who am I kidding, you're right."

'I'm always right." Bonnie rolled her eyes, shutting the bathroom door. "

The refreshing hot shower really helped put things into perspective, and she finally felt alive for the first time in a while. All this time she'd been sleeping on the things that were right in front of - maybe things wouldn't be easy, but who was she to question Damon's choices? He knew what he wanted, and she desperately wanted him back. They could work on their issues, as long as they were together.

Elena slid on a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, the only things in her temporary closet that were clean and presentable. She threw her wet hair in a bun, not wanting to waste any more time on getting ready. She needed to see Damon right now and make things okay between them, if he'd let her.

"Gosh, what have you been eating these days? There's not a single food product in this place." She called out from the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards. It looked like a ghost house, there was no other explanation for it.

Elena entered the kitchen, ready to leave. "Not much I guess; it wasn't really my top priority."

"Let's hope you won't be left feeling hungry for too long then." Bonnie said with a wink, grabbing the car keys out of her bag. "Come on, let's go and save the day."

* * *

"Bonnie, what if he doesn't want to talk to me?" Elena asked nervously as they pulled up in front of Damon's place.

All this time she failed to consider the option that Damon had wanted nothing to do with her after the way she treated him. He'd have every right to shut the door on her face, but now that she woke up from being an idiot, she really needed him to take her back.

"Then I'll kick his ass." Bonnie said with a straight face, urging her to go. "Lena, you need to do this. Whatever is going on in your head right now is much worse than reality. Go knock on that door, apologise for being an idiot and make him see that _you_ love him. But if you do need me, I'm just a call away."

She laughed and gave her a goodbye hug. "Thank you so much. For everything."

"You can thank me later. Now, go, go!"

Elena climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind her and inhaling the fresh air that she'd missed so much.

Her heart was pounding louder with each step that she took, but it felt right. It felt like after all this time, she was finally alive. Luckily, she had no issues with access to the building, as the security guy still assumed that she lived with Damon.

Despite having the keys in her bag, she settled on ringing the doorbell, and stood there waiting, slipping both hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

She heard the door open and she stilled, her breath hitching. All that she had prepared to say was now gone, as Damon stood in front of her. He looked different. A light stubborn beard covered his face, and he'd never leave it unshaved like this before. His dark raven hair appeared unruly and his eyes looked at her with a distance that felt unfamiliar.

"I'm sorry." She belted out nervously. "I'm so sorry, for being the biggest idiot in the world. For not taking your love seriously, for questioning your feelings. For giving up on us, when all you wanted to do was fight for us."

Everything inside was screaming at him to let her in, to take her into his arms, as he'd been dreaming of doing all these days. Instead he stood frozen, listening to every word that escaped her lips, taking in everything about her like she was some sort of a hallucination.

"Damon, I love you. Please, let me make this right and everything will go back to the way it was." She pleaded, not caring this made her look desperate.

There it was. The words he'd been dying to hear ever since she left. The words that gave him a bigger rush of adrenaline than any drugs or fear ever could.

"I know that you love me too, and I know I took it all for granted it before, but not anymore."

"Elena, I don't know If I can do this again." He finally broke his silence, sounding defeated. "I've lost you once, and I don't think that you understand what that did to me."

She began to tear up all over again, shaking her head in protest. "I know, because I lost you too. And it was the most stupid thing I've ever done, because I thought that I was protecting you by doing it. Now I know that I just need to love you the right way, the way that you deserve."

His heart clenched at seeing her tears, he hated to think of the pain that she suffered too.

"I can't lose you twice, Elena. I just can't." He admitted, each word coming out painfully slow. "I know that you believe in what you're saying now, but you will turn and run at some point."

"Okay, you have every right to think that. All I've done up until now was run when things hit the fan. But not anymore, Damon." She swallowed nervously. "So, let's get married. I will marry you, because I want to spend the rest of my life right by your side. Children or no children, I don't care as long as I have you."

She didn't think this through nor did she plan on saying it, but when she said those words out loud, they felt even more right. She didn't want to waste another minute and starting a life with Damon was exactly what she wanted.

"What?" Damon asked, completely shocked.

Of course, this idea has crossed his mind before, it wasn't a case of figuring it out if he wanted to marry Elena, it was always a matter of timing.

"This isn't the way I pictured it would be but fuck it Damon. Let's get married tomorrow for all I care. If you're willing to take me back."

His lips parted in awe, and he rushed over to her, grabbing her face and crashing their lips together.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

'It's been seven days since I proposed, you know." Elena half smiled, flipping on her side as Damon's palm rested on her waist. "I'm starting to think that you're going to turn me down?"

"I've been a little preoccupied…" He smirked, pulling Elena against him and lacing her lips with a kiss.

That's all they did for the past week; kiss, laugh, make love and sometimes pull away from each other for long enough to eat something. It was like a race against time, trying to make up for all the days that they spent heart broken.

Now that they made their way back to each other, it was too hard to keep away. Their relationship needed a time out; a break from all the heartache and drama. Not discussing any of their issues seemed to do the trick. But it didn't magically erase the fact that Elena had basically proposed to Damon, and it did begin to feel like he was avoiding the subject all together.

At first, Damon was overwhelmed with everything happening in such a small timeframe. When Elena left him, he ended up with a lot of time to think things over - and he was adamant that they wouldn't be able to reconcile. Not because his love for her wasn't there, but because for the first time in his life he felt that maybe love just wasn't enough.

Elena had so many struggles and fears of her own that she was yet to tackle, and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't fix anything for her. It took him time to understand that Elena needed to find that courage and strength to battle those demons by herself. He couldn't act as a band aid, a temporary fix for the underlying pain; sooner or later it would resurface, and by then the wound could be too deep to treat.

Then all went to hell when she stood at his door, pleading with him; promising a future that he so desperately wanted to have with her. Of course, it took him by surprise, they had never spoken of marriage. But did he want it? More than anything. But this wasn't about him, it was about Elena and she just wasn't ready for it.

"Damon, stop trying to distract me. I'm being serious." She giggled, shifting in his arms and silencing his lips with a finger. "I want us to be together for real, so tell me: do you want us to get married or not?"

She sounded nervous asking the question, as she carefully studied his reaction, digging for an answer.

"I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Elena." He conceded, brushing away a strand of her hair. "I just don't think that you really thought this through."

"What do you mean?" A few lines of concentration appeared on her forehead along with the question. "I had all the time in the world to think about how miserable I was without you, and I don't want us to be separate ever again."

"Neither do I, baby." He spoke softly, looking into her eyes with awe. "And I want you to be my wife more than anything. But you only said that because you were scared of losing me."

Elena frowned, frustrated at the detachment that she sensed from him. But she had it coming, it was a given that he would take her words with a pinch of salt.

"I was dumb enough to let you go the first time, and I want you to know how much I love you. And marrying you is the best way to show you that I'm serious about us."

"We should get married because we want to, not because we need to prove something to each other."

Elena stilled for a moment, feeling both hurt and confused. Was it the rejection? Partially, she didn't expect to be turned down by Damon, after all he gave them another chance.

The idea of marriage and long-term commitment terrified her for the longest time, it often sent her over the edge and caused her to make irrational decisions. But when she finally wrapped her head around the fact that it didn't matter where she was or what she was doing in life, if Damon wasn't right by her side - then all the puzzles fell into place.

Everything was so colourless, tasteless and simply pointless without Damon. He uncovered all the parts of herself that she'd long forgotten existed and made her feel glad that she was alive. And in all this, she liked to think that she did the same thing for him.

Once that became obvious, what else was there to pond over? The sooner they started their life together, the better. She couldn't leave this to chance, because that's what screwed things up so many times before. Life had provided her with the perfect opportunity to make that one final decision about her love life; one that would prove to be the best she'd ever make.

"So, why did you take me back if you didn't think that I was being serious?" She asked quietly, resting on her elbow.

"I knew that you meant every word. "You're not the type of person to say something and not come through, that was enough for me." He admitted, taking her hand into his in a comforting manner.

"I don't understand."

He swallowed, feeling uneasy. He was still somewhat afraid of approaching the weaknesses of their relationship, after all they'd barely managed to patch things up.

"I know now that you love me as much as I love you, and that's all that I needed to know." He countered, picking each word carefully. "But I think that before we decide to get married, there's a couple of other things that we should address first."

Elena visibly stiffened at the last remark, dropping her gaze to their intertwined hands. She knew this was a hurdle that they had to face eventually.

"I know, I haven't forgotten." Her tone was laced with worry. "I'm going to start seeing my therapist again. I started attending sessions back when I lost my baby and left Elijah, but I never got around to finishing the process. I guess I felt a little better with time and assumed that I didn't need the help anymore." She scoffed at the statement, now that she knew how wrong of an assumption that was.

"I thought about it, and it's not that I don't want a baby with you… I'm just terrified after what happened the last time. I can't help but think it will happen again, and it will ruin us both."

Damon listened to her in silence, watching her open up in a way that she never did before. Knowing how difficult it was for her to expose those feelings, it made him feel proud. This was a good sign, she was taking active steps towards recovery, and he'd be there every step of the way to make it easier.

"But I can't let those fears stop me from living, like I did for the last few years. I need to move on from all the hurt, and that way I think that we could build something beautiful together…" Elena finally looked up into his eyes, in search of some approval or agreement that they were on the same page.

There weren't enough words to describe just how scared she was of facing the past trauma and discussing her biggest fears with a total stranger, but she wanted to go back to be her old self - the Elena that wasn't crippled by anxiety. It just angered her to know how much time she'd wasted by pretending that she was perfectly fine.

"I think that's a great idea, Lena. There's nothing more that I want than for you to be happy."

"You make me happy." She murmured.

"I know, but I also want you to be happy and at peace with yourself." His lips curled into a smile, and he was able to relax as a sense of relief finally washed over him.

Truthfully, it didn't matter if they ever had children. He loved Elena no matter what; but knowing that she would consider the possibility of being the mother of his children was something that made him feel immensely proud.

"Me too." She added with a light-hearted expression, pecking his lips. "So, we're good?"

"Very good." He pulled her in for a proper kiss, missing the warmth of her body pressed against him.

"So, we're officially not engaged, huh?" Elena giggled as Damon's lips trailed a path down her neck.

"For now," He mumbled breathlessly. "You're still mine."

The prickly beard tickled as he moved further down her heaving chest.

"Mm, I'll have you know that there are plenty of men who wouldn't dream of turning my proposal down." She remarked jokingly, trying to muffle down the on-coming laughter.

Damon ministrations halted, his predatory stare narrowing in on Elena. "They can keep on wishing, cause I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"And I'm not mad about that."

 **4 Months Later**

They walked in hand in hand, and this time Damon accompanied her inside. The appointment had been scheduled in advance, and it had them both feeling nervous, as they anticipated the outcome and what it would mean for them.

Damon sat on a stool right next to Elena and she was still tightly gripping onto his hand, nervously observing the monitor in front of them. This would finally be the moment of truth.

It was yet another case of deja-vu, and so was an afternoon from a couple of days ago, when she took another pregnancy test that ended up being positive. Just like she thought it would.

Elena remembered the sensation of the warm blood gushing through her veins and the pulse racing in her ears. Yeah, concluding that she was nervous would have been a hell of an understatement. She found herself engulfed by worry, so much that it had paralysed her, as she sat on the edge of the tub.

The signs were there once again; she had awful nausea, fatigue and her period failed to make an appearance. So, she had to take a pregnancy test; only this time it didn't seem so bad. They weren't trying to conceive, they were always trying to stay safe, yet somehow, they still ended up here. Maybe it was just meant to be.

Did she feel like crying? Screaming? No, it wasn't like that. She was terrified of the process and how much it would change in their life; but she wasn't scared of having the baby. After defeating all the odds, she was still blessed with the opportunity of carrying the child of the man that she loved. And something inside of her flooded with warmth at the thought.

And here they were today; at the doctor's office, about to witness the final proof that they really were going to become parents.

"Here it is." Dr Fell announced happily, pointing to a fuzzy dot on the screen. "It looks like you're only 8 weeks along, so I'm not able to tell you a lot at this stage. But there's definitely a baby growing in your belly."

Elena's breath hitched in her throat, and her brown orbs filled up with tears. It was all overwhelming, but not in a bad way. She felt glad that Damon was right there with her, giving her the courage that she needed. Their eyes locked in a shy gaze; a shadow of worry was evident across Damon's face.

She smiled at him through the tears, giving his hand a squeeze, a sign to let him know that she was okay with the news. They could do this together.

"Is it healthy?" She asked as their eyes were now glued to the monitor.

"Yes, everything is okay with the baby." Dr fell confirmed in a comforting tone. "It's only around 51 inches, but at this stage of the pregnancy it will grow rapidly. We can try and listen to the heartbeat, if you'd like to?"

They both nodded in a daze, lost for words.

A few seconds later they were able to hear a very faint heartbeat, thudding quietly but vigorously. The entire experience felt surreal, as the life they created was right there in front of them, and it had so much will to live.

"Now as I said everything is fine with the baby, but I do need to let you know that due to your medical history, this pregnancy will be classified as high-risk."

"What does that mean for Elena?" Damon followed up clearly worried by the prospect.

"Well, there's a couple of things that you'll need to be more weary of and we will have to keep a closer eye on the baby's progress, which means more frequent appointments and some additional tests that will be carried out at a later stage." The doctor explained in a calm manner, as she passed Damon some brochures.

"It's worth having a look through those to get a basic understanding of what that will entail. But most importantly, high levels of stress need to be avoided. And we'll need to monitor your weight, Elena - I know we're still at the very early stages, but your weight gain hasn't been very significant and I'm guessing that's due to the persistent nausea."

The level of information intimidated them both at first; there was much to look out for, so much to process. Were they ready for it? Was this the best time? Probably not. But could you ever be prepared for a revelation like that?

Well, their relationship was much more stable now. They spent the last few months just focusing on each other, making one another happy and life was great. And then they were faced with the same obstacle, but somehow it all just seemed easier.

"Are you okay? You haven't said much since we left." Damon prodded nervously, still awaiting a moment of panic or some sort of a reaction that would tell him how she felt about this.

It was just as much of a surprise for him, but honestly, everything in him told him that this was a good thing.

"Yeah, I'm good." Elena nodded, looking up at him. "I'm terrified, but I'm also good. And I want you to stop holding everything in, Damon."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled softly, tying both arms around his neck. "You don't have to hide your excitement. I know that you're happy, and so am I. It's just a little harder for me to show it but give it time."

"Are you sure?" He wrapped his arms around her waist, gently, as he was suddenly much wearier of his movements.

"Of course. You're going to be a dad, isn't that amazing?" She nuzzled her nose against his, smiling.

"It is, but only because I get to do this with you, Elena." Their foreheads leaned against each other. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She climbed up on her tiptoes, connecting their lips in a passionate kiss.


End file.
